


Two Can Keep a Secret

by accioweasleys4



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, F/M, Fluff, Fremione - Freeform, Non-Canon Relationship, Opposites Attract
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:54:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 35,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25659310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/accioweasleys4/pseuds/accioweasleys4
Summary: Hermione Granger gets locked in a closet with Fred Weasley one day during her fifth year. It is not just any old closet at Hogwarts. It likes to hold students hostage until they figure out how to get out themselves. AU. Previously posted on Wattpad and Fanfiction.net.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Fred Weasley, Luna Lovegood/George Weasley
Comments: 27
Kudos: 181





	1. Chapter 1

Hermione was reading a book while walking at the same time on the way back to the common room from dinner one night. She had been distracted and accidentally stumbled into a closet. It wasn't just any old closet at Hogwarts though. It was one that liked to lock students in there at any random time. Fred Weasley got sucked into it a second after she had stumbled in. She groaned to herself. How could she have not been paying attention? She was a prefect, she should've known better than that!

Hermione sighed as she tried opening the closet door again, but it was no use. She was locked in a closet with Fred Weasley. She got out her wand and muttered, "Alohomora."

It was no use. She heard an amused chuckle from beside her. "Relax, Granger. So what if you're locked in a closet with me? I'm not a horrible person. It could be worse. You could be stuck in here with Malfoy."

She could feel a headache coming on, so she held up a hand impatiently. "Just stop talking, Fred. Please. " She kept fumbling with the door, but it wouldn't open. She tried another spell that could unlock doors, but it didn't work either.

"Why did you follow me in here anyway?" She asked him after she gave up on getting out. He didn't answer, so she lit her wand and glared up at him expectantly. "Well?" She asked sharply as he grinned down at her.

"You told me to stop talking, so I did," Fred answered, laughing lightly. "And I didn't follow you. This closet likes to suck people in."

"Oh, I hate you," she muttered irritably, smacking him on the shoulder.

"No you don't," Fred said, smirking.

"Yes I do," Hermione answered confidently as she folded her arms. She glared at him as his smirk grew.

"No you don't," Fred answered again. His eyes were twinkling with mischief now.

Hermione threw up her hands in mock surrender. "All right. Why don't I don't hate you?" She asked finally. She tried to ignore how close they were.

"George saw you doodling yesterday in the common room," he answered casually, looking down at her.

Hermione rolled her eyes as she let out another irritable sigh. "So I doodled yesterday. Big deal. Is doodling a crime now? That doesn't mean anything," she said, shaking her head in disbelief. She looked up and saw Fred's grin had widened.

"You don't remember what you doodled, do you?" he asked her seriously.

"Stick figures?" she guessed, rolling her eyes again.

"You wrote Mrs. _Fred_ Weasley on your parchment," Fred answered, as he continued grinning down at her. "Inside of a heart." He crossed his arms and stared down at her.

"I suppose you don't know anything about that," he said as he watched her reaction.

Hermione's eyes widened as she felt her heart stop in her chest. She had doodled that? Why couldn't she remember? It didn't mean anything if she couldn't remember it, right? For Merlin's sake, she had feelings for Ron! He didn't exactly return the feelings though. "I don't believe you," she said stubbornly.

"George said you'd say that," Fred replied casually. He reached for something and produced a spare parchment.

Hermione stared down at the parchment in shock. She could see hearts with Mrs. Fred Weasley all over it. She felt sick when she saw the proof with her own eyes. "He stole my parchment? And you two talked about me?" She reached for her wand to hex him.

Fred held up his hands in defense. "He didn't steal it. You dropped it. You didn't realize it. We don't keep secrets from each other. It had my name on it, so he asked me about it."

He slowly wrapped his arm around her waist and brought her close to him. "You _like_ me. Admit it, Hermione."

Hermione's mind whirled as her mouth started to grow dry when she lowered her wand. Her heart was dancing, though she had no idea why. Fred's hands were slowly trailing down her arms and sides. She sucked in a breath and closed her eyes. She didn't want to move away from him. His touch felt so good. It felt nice to be wanted by somebody. She felt herself moving closer toward Fred like a magnet. She couldn't move away if she wanted to.

When Hermione opened her eyes, she saw that their faces were inches away from each other. She suddenly wondered if he was going to kiss her.

Her stomach started doing somersaults and she let her mouth relax. Hermione realized how much she wanted that kiss...how much she needed it. She focused on the words he had said a few moments ago.

"I don't," Hermione answered quietly. She forced herself to back away from him. She was starting to feel claustrophobic because of how close they were to each other. She hoped she wasn't blushing.

"You're lying," Fred said, studying her. He patted her shoulder as he stepped around her. "That's all right. Two can keep a secret." He brushed a strand of hair out of her face, and he let his hand linger there.

Hermione flinched at his touch. "I'm not," She answered in a low voice.

Fred chuckled as he muttered a spell to open the locked door. "You just keep lying to yourself, Granger. You'll realize the truth soon."

"No, I won't," Hermione muttered to herself disdainfully as she glared at Fred's back when he left. She finally made her way out of the closet. She was going to get Fred back for keeping that spell a secret from her.

* * *

**A/N: Hey everybody! This story was from my fanfiction account and Wattpad. I found out about this site after story was on Wattpad also so I wanted to post here too. The story is already pre-written and done, but the chapters will be updated here slowly. Thanks for reading chapter one! Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**


	2. Chapter 2: The Silent Treatment

Hermione was working on homework with Harry and Ron on their favorite couch. She was still giving Fred the silent treatment whenever they were in the same room though. She was always aware of when he was in the same room though.

Ron must've been watching his brothers for a while, because he suddenly said something about it. "Uh... Hermione, Fred keeps staring at you," he said quietly.

Hermione didn't bother looking up from the chart she was correcting. "It's not a crime to stare, Ronald," she said with a sigh. "If you ignore him, he'll stop."

"Did something happen between you two?" Harry asked casually.

Hermione threw her quill down in anger. "Absolutely not!" She snapped, shaking her head as if he was crazy for even coming up with that idea. She happened to glance over at Fred for the first time since she entered the common room.

Fred winked at her before he returned to his conversation. Hermione stared at him in shock even though he was no longer watching her now.

" _He just winked at you_!" Ron said, sounding completely horrified with that exchange. "Why would he wink at you?" Hermione could feel herself turning warm, so she quickly ducked her head into her textbook.

This movement didn't go unnoticed by Harry. "Hermione?" he asked her quietly. She slowly looked up at her two best friends. Harry looked concerned, and Ron looked incredulous. He still had an eye on Fred.

She sighed and decided to come clean with the truth. "Nobody else can know about this," she hissed quietly as she motioned them to move forward. They nodded and bent their heads close to hers.

"Fred thinks....that...I like him," she admitted finally as she shifted awkwardly in her seat.

Harry and Ron looked at each other incredulously and they busted out laughing. Hermione raised an eyebrow at them, but her annoyance grew as they continued laughing. Harry stopped laughing when she gave him a glare, but Ron laughed even harder. She finally smacked him on the shoulder with her textbook.

"It's not _that_ funny!" She snapped as Ron covered his shoulder and muttered something under his breath. She decided to ignore what he said.

"It kind of is," Ron said slowly. The corners of his mouth twitched, and Hermione went back to working on homework. She started scribbling away in annoyance.

"I'm sorry Hermione," Ron said after she remained quiet.

Hermione nodded her head at his apology. "It's kind of weird, isn't it?" She asked them quietly. "The idea of...us?" She hoped her face wasn't giving anything away.

"Well... yeah. He's my brother, and you two have nothing in common," Ron answered immediately.

"Not really," Harry answered at the same time as Ron said it was weird.

Hermione and Ron looked at each other before looking at Harry in surprise. "Oh?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You both are smart, and it's not too weird. Plus you already know each other," he said, before shaking his head. "I'm terrible at explaining these types of things," he muttered.

Hermione lifted a hand up. "It doesn't matter anyway. I don't like him. I like somebody else," she said. Her eyes widened as she realized what she said, and looked away.

"Who do you like?" Ron asked, looking interested all of a sudden. Harry even looked mildly interested as well.

"That's private information. I'm not telling _you,_ " Hermione answered. She purposefully emphasized on the you, knowing that he wouldn't pick up on it at all.

"But we're your best friends! You know about Harry's crush on Cho!" Ron said loudly.

Harry winced as he glanced around the common room. "Thanks Ron," he said sarcastically.

Ron realized what he said and saw that people were giving them strange looks. "Sorry," he apologized. He looked back at Hermione. "You kept Krum a secret from us," he said hotly. He ignored the fact that Harry began shaking his head and waving his hands in the air to stop Ron. "I don't think you should keep this crush a secret also," he finished.

Hermione scowled as she stood up and gathered her books. "If you haven't figured it out by now, you never will," she snapped and she headed toward the girls dormitory. She was halfway up the staircase when she realized she left her Potions textbook behind.

***

Hermione retraced her steps and saw Ron was now arguing with Fred. She scowled and stood right behind him until he noticed.

"What are you doing to Hermione?" Ron demanded to know, not knowing Hermione was next to him.

Fred looked amused when he saw her standing behind Ron, but she was grateful that he didn't say anything.

"Nothing she didn't start," he said casually, glancing over at her meaningfully. Hermione crossed her arms and gave him a glare.

"Yeah? Leave her alone then!" Ron said, pushing his brother's shoulder lightly.

Hermione decided it was time to step in before a fight broke out between the two. She reached for her textbook as she stood next to Ron. "I don't need you to fight my battles for me, Ronald," she said in a cold voice. Fred grinned and handed the textbook over.

Ron jumped when he saw her next to him. "But- but he's the reason you're acting so strange!" he sputtered out.

Hermione decided not to acknowledge that. She started walking back to the girl's dormitory again now that she had her potions textbook again.

"You're welcome, _love_!" She heard Fred call out in an amused tone. George and Lee laughed beside him, and Hermione headed up the stairs without saying another word.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I will try to get out two or three chapters a couple of times a week since this story is already finished elsewhere. Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does.**


	3. Chapter 3- A Midnight Rescue

Hermione had been working on homework late for the fourth time that week. She stayed up later than Ron and Harry because she felt like she got more work done late at night. The rain and the silence were soothing to her. She was halfway through her potions assignment when she saw Fred come in.

A frown appeared on Hermione's face when she realized the time. It was well past midnight. She also realized that this was the fourth time Fred had come in late that week. She hadn't said anything to him before because she was still giving him the silent treatment.

Fred was holding his hand and wincing when he made his way through. Hermione had a feeling she knew what that was about. She placed the quill on the table and headed over to him.

"Fred?" She asked quietly when she was closer to him.

Fred jumped when he saw her, though he immediately tried to put on a brave face. "Oh, hi Hermione. Were you waiting up for me?" He asked her teasingly.

"No, I was just working on potions. What's wrong with your hand?" She asked quickly before he could walk away.

Fred's eyes widened and he stuffed his hand in a pocket. "Nothing," he answered defensively.

Hermione narrowed her eyes. She knew he was hiding something, so she reached for his hand and pulled it out of his pocket. "You've had detention with Umbridge," she muttered quietly without looking at his hand.

He looked at her in surprise. "You really _do_ know everything!" he said in an amazed tone.

"Harry's had a handful of detentions with her. Wait here, I've got some Murtlap still," she said quietly, forgetting about her anger towards him.

"Why are you helping me?" He demanded to know, looking down at her.

Hermione sighed as she avoided looking into Fred's eyes. "I just don't like the idea of Umbridge torturing you...or anybody else," she added quickly so he wouldn't tease her about caring about him. She went to grab the potion and bandages before he could say another word.

They sat down on the couch and she let him soak his hand in Murtlap Essence. The common room was very quiet, so Hermione decided to say something. "So, what did you get detention for this time?" She asked quietly. She tried to avoid looking at what his hand said because she felt like it was none of her business.

Fred hesitated, and he looked a bit uneasy. "Er...I've only gotten myself into detention once," he admitted quietly. He ran a hand through his hair nervously. "I served detention for three first years. They were just having fun pulling their first pranks. I didn't want them to get in trouble, so I said I did them. Professor Umbridge believed me."

Hermione blinked in surprise. Fred actually stood up for some first years? He actually cared for them? Her arms were around his neck before she knew what was happening.

" _Hermione_!" Fred said in a shocked tone.

"Thank you," she muttered in his ear.

"You're welcome," Fred whispered, sounding astonished by the fact that she was actually hugging him.

"Maybe you aren't that bad after all," Hermione mused quietly to herself. She looked over at Fred and saw that he had heard what she said.

"I'm not," he admitted honestly. A smile started to spread across his face, and Hermione thought she knew what was coming next.

"Does this mean you'll go out with me?" He asked hopefully.

Hermione's heart danced at his words, but she just laughed sarcastically and whacked him with a pillow instead of answering.

Fred held up his hands in defense. "Hey, I'm the patient here!" He said jokingly.

Hermione chuckled before she looked down at his hand. "We should probably bandage you up now," she said. Fred nodded and held out his hand. Hermione began cleaning his cut carefully, and slowly wrapped the bandage around his hand

They sat there in silence, and Hermione tried not to focus on how close they were. Her heart seemed to do strange things when she actually noticed things like that.

Their eyes met, and he smiled down at her. "Thanks," he murmured quietly. "Do you mind if I hang out with you? It's peaceful down here. George and Lee will be snoring away by now."

Hermione widened her eyes in surprise. She couldn't imagine why Fred would want to hang out with her after how she treated him the past few weeks. She found herself forgetting why she was mad at him though, and nodded. "You are welcome. And yes," she answered finally, wishing she could say something brilliant. She now understood how Harry ended up feeling like an idiot around Cho most of the time. It was hard forming complete sentences around somebody you... she shook her head as she cut her thought off.

Hermione set the potion on the table and they leaned back on the couch. She was very aware when their elbows touched. Fred looked over at her and grinned at her at this point. Hermione jumped up as her mind whirled.

"Actually, I should go to bed," Hermione said quickly. Fred looked confused and opened his mouth to say something, but she continued before he could say a word. "I've got a potions test in the morning," she blurted out.

"I could help you study," Fred offered quietly. "I'm ahead of you after all."

Hermione shook her head stubbornly as she placed a hand on her forehead. Why was she so hot? Was she getting sick? "No. I need sleep. You know what they say about resting before exams," she said, laughing nervously.

Fred gave her a strange look. "What do they say?"

Hermione backed up quickly. "Never mind. Bye!" She sprinted upstairs and left behind a very confused Fred before he could say another word.

When Hermione was safely in her room, she let out a sigh of relief. She didn't know why it suddenly felt dangerous being near Fred Weasley now.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I do not own Harry Potter, this is for fun.**


	4. A lifetime Quidditch ban

**A/N: Warning: This chapter is AU. I do not own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does.**

*******

Fred had been moping on the couch hours after everybody else had gone to bed after the first Quidditch match of the year. He hadn't been able to sleep when he first went to bed. George and Lee's snores had annoyed him, so he decided to go to the common room for some peace. He still couldn't believe he had been banned from playing when he hadn't been doing anything. Fred knew that he _would've_ attacked Malfoy if he had the chance for insulting his family though.

Fred suddenly heard stairs creaking. He saw Hermione standing in front of him a few moments later.

He normally loved the fact that Hermione had graced him with her presence, but he really wanted to be alone right then. "I don't need a lecture from you, Hermione," he said, sighing as he turned toward the opposite direction.

"I wasn't going to lecture you," Hermione said softly.

Fred's eyebrows flew up in surprise. "Really? You aren't going to say that the professors are always right and need to be worshipped? You aren't going to say that I deserved what I got? I _did_ want to fight him after all. Isn't that breaking a rule in your book?

A hurt expression appeared on Hermione's face, and Fred immediately regretted snapping at her. He knew Ron and Harry often blew up at her, and she didn't deserve it from anybody else.

"I was going to see if you were all right. I saw a light on down here and figured it was you or George. But if I'm such a bother, I'll just go back to bed," Hermione snapped, turning to leave.

Fred stood up quickly and reached for her hand. "Hermione, wait. I'm sorry. Don't go."

Hermione hesitated. Fred saw that she looked unsure, so he began talking quickly. "I really didn't mean to snap. I get like this whenever I'm frustrated, and I know I shouldn't have taken it out on you. It's not your fault that my broom is locked up in Umbridge's office. You didn't kick me off the team. Redheads have fiery tempers," he offered as a last resort.

This caused an eye roll from her, but Fred felt relieved when he finally got a reaction from her.

"I understand," she said as she sat down at the edge of the couch. "I'd be upset too if I were you. You loved flying."

Fred nodded. "I didn't love it as much as pranks. But it was still an important part of my life."

Hermione's expression turned dark, and Fred couldn't help but wonder what she was angry about now.

"I hate her," she grumbled angrily. "You didn't deserve this. Malfoy didn't even get into much trouble. He started this."

A smile started to spread across Fred's face. It was almost worth getting in trouble to see Hermione's reaction.

She narrowed her eyes as she saw him grinning at her. "What?" She asked skeptically.

"Nothing," Fred said innocently. She looked at him like she didn't believe him, so he decided to change the subject. "Want to go down to the kitchens with me? I'm starving."

Hermione looked startled when he asked her that, and it took her a moment to recover. "You might get caught," she answered slowly.

"Where's the fun in life if you don't take risks, Granger? Come on, live a little," he said in an encouraging tone.

This earned him another glare. "I've taken plenty of risks, thank you," she said haughtily.

"One more won't hurt you then. I won't get you in trouble," Fred answered.

"All right," she said, sighing. "But if we get caught, I'm going to pretend like I have amnesia," she warned, following him through the portrait.

Fred just smirked at her and let her pass first. "Ladies first," he sang out.

"I must be crazy," he heard her mutter as she walked passed him.

Fred resisted the urge to say, "Yeah, crazy for me." He thought she wouldn't go through with this if he teased her about it, so he settled for smirking again as he led her toward the kitchens.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading!**


	5. Dumbledore's Army

Hermione hadn't been happy with how Professor Umbridge was teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts at all. Fred and Harry's detentions made her more upset, and she had decided to do something about it. She had gotten the idea that Harry should teach them, along with a few others. Fred and George happened to be the first few people she told. She had been kinder to Fred since their last meeting, though she still avoided being alone with him whenever they happened to be in the same room.

Fred happened to catch up to Hermione after she delivered the news to him and George. "You are aware that this sort of thing might get you expelled, right?" He whispered in his ear.

"Yes, I am," Hermione said, keeping her head forward as they walked together.

"You're telling me that you are actually willing to be expelled if this fails?" Fred asked in an awed voice.

Hermione sighed as she looked around them to make sure that nobody was listening. "Some things are worth getting expelled for," she muttered, looking up at him. "We're in a war. We have to defend ourselves," she said defensively.

Fred held his hands up quickly. "I'm not arguing against your logic. I'm just surprised that a prefect like you is willing to break a bunch of rules, and decrees."

"People can surprise you," she muttered quietly, as she started walking away from him again.

"Yes they can," Fred answered, shaking his head. "Hey, Granger!" He called out after her. Hermione sighed as she turned around to look at him again.

"I'll see you later," he said, winking at her before he went to catch up with George and Lee.

Hermione could feel her cheeks turning warm, so she quickly turned and started walking to her next class. She couldn't help but feeling pleased by the fact that he had winked at her.

**Fred's POV**

The first few meetings of Dumbledore's Army had been successful. Fred admitted that he came to most of them to see Hermione, though he wouldn't tell anybody about that. George didn't even know that he was falling for her. He thought that he still had feelings for Angelina, though Fred had gotten over her a long time ago.

Harry was now teaching the group how to stun people, though he was teaching everybody in pairs. Ron and Hermione were the second pair to have practice it.

Fred couldn't help but smirk as he watched Hermione step toward the center of the room. "One sickle," he muttered in George's ear. Fred and George had been placing bets against Ron ever since they were thirteen and he was in his first year.

George looked at him and grinned. "You're on."

They watched in anticipation as Hermione focused on the spell before she waved her wand and shouted, "Stupefy!"

Ron flew backwards across the other side of the room, and Fred chuckled. "Thank you," he muttered triumphantly as George slipped him a sickle.

"Shut up," George muttered, narrowing his eyes at him.

The meeting ended awhile later, though Fred didn't want it to end. He liked these meetings because he knew they were actually doing something that Umbridge really wouldn't like. He also loved having an excuse to be in the same room as Hermione was in.

He lingered in the room for a few minutes as everybody started to clear out. George waited impatiently to get going on their next invention they were working on. But when Fred didn't join him immediately, he headed over to him.

"You all right, Freddie?" George asked, raising an eyebrow.

Fred shook his head as he looked over at his twin. "Yeah, sorry. I thought I forgot something." He glanced involuntarily over at Hermione, and George followed his gaze.

"I'll bet you have," George muttered quietly, smirking as he crossed his arms expectantly.

"Is there something you want to tell me?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

Fred sighed as he started walking out the door. This conversation wasn't one he wanted Hermione overhearing. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said, though he knew George wouldn't buy it. He could tell when Fred was hiding something.

"You _like_ her," George said teasingly. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's complicated," Fred answered as they walked down a staircase. "I just don't think she likes me like that. She always gets weird whenever we're alone."

George's eyebrows flew up at the last two words. "You've been _alone_ with her?"

Fred sighed again. He really didn't want to get into this right now. It was confusing, and he was hungry. "Let's go to the kitchens," he said, changing the subject. George looked like he was about to say something to him, but he thought better of it and nodded.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading!**


	6. Stolen Moments

Hermione had been worried about Fred ever since she arrived to Grimmauld Place from her ski trip with her parents during the Christmas break. He hadn't taken the news about his father being in hospital well at all. He kept to himself in the corner of the room, or on the staircase. He had yelled at Sirius and Remus a few times, though she knew that he was just scared about Mr. Weasley being at St. Mungo's. She actually missed him though.

She saw him go upstairs without being excused at dinner, and she stood up to follow him. George looked up in surprise, though he immediately shook his head. "Hermione, I don't think it's a good idea to talk to him right now. He won't talk to us. He won't even talk to _me,_ " George said. He looked hurt, and Hermione looked toward the staircase.

"That's why I should talk to him," she said quietly. "He needs somebody. I have to try." George must've seen the look of determination in her eyes because he nodded a moment later.

She looked at Harry and Ron. "I'll see you guys later... hopefully," she muttered quietly when she excused herself. Harry nodded, and Ron narrowed his eyes at her slightly, but he didn't say anything.

Hermione walked up the stairs and knocked softly on the twin's bedroom door. She pressed her ear against it, but she didn't hear anything. She opened the door and saw that Fred was sitting on the corner of his bed with his head buried in his knees. Her heart sank, and she wished she wasn't witnessing this. It was too late to turn back now.

Fred looked up suddenly when she sat down next to him. He had tears coming out of his eyes, though he quickly tried to hide them as he sat up straighter. "Hermione?" He asked quietly. He shook his head and his face hardened. "I don't want to talk to anybody," he said harshly.

Hermione was shocked by Fred's attitude. This wasn't the Fred she knew. The Fred she knew was kind and always smiling. He pulled pranks and made people laugh. She couldn't believe that she had ever hated him.

"Then we won't talk," she murmured quietly. Their eyes met, and Hermione slowly wrapped her arms around him and held him.

Fred stiffened for a moment but then he nodded and buried his head into her shoulder. Hermione ran her hands through his hair as she made soothing noises.

Fred pulled away after he sobbed quietly in her shoulder. "Wh- what if he dies?" he asked quietly, looking up at her.

Hermione remained quiet as she stared down into his eyes. She didn't want to give Fred false hope when they didn't know how Mr. Weasley really was. She didn't want to leave him in this state either.

She placed a kiss on his forehead and lightly ran a hand through his hair. "I'll be here for you," she promised him softly. "No matter what."

Hermione leaned her head against his shoulder. "I miss you," she admitted quietly.

Fred looked shocked when he heard that. "I haven't gone anywhere, Hermione."

"Yes you have," Hermione answered quickly. She held his hand and didn't let go of it. "Please come back. We need your jokes, your smile, your laughter, that look you get in your eyes when you prank somebody-" a sob escaped, so she turned away from him and placed her hands around her face to hide the tears that were coming out.

" _Hermione_!" she heard Fred say in a stunned voice. Hermione ignored him and scooted away from him as tears kept coming out of her eyes.

Fred pulled her into his arms and held her against his chest. He had stopped crying, though Hermione was embarrassed about the fact that she was the one crying now. "I'm sorry, Hermione. I'm so sorry."

Hermione's sobs had finally quieted, and she was finally able to look up at Fred again. "Don't leave us," she murmured softly. "We need you." _I need you._ She couldn't say those words then. This was the wrong time. Fred looked down at her with a serious expression, which was rare for him. But he nodded. No more words needed to be said then. They just continued to hold onto each other while they waited for news.

Mrs. Weasley finally came home the next day. Hermione and Fred had been sitting on the staircase, but Fred stood up when she got home. "How's he? How's dad?" Fred demanded when the others joined them at the bottom of the staircase. Mrs. Weasley looked at each of them and she placed her hand on Fred's shoulder.

"He's fine." Relief spilled over Fred's features, and Hermione let out a shaky breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Their eyes found each other when everybody began talking to each other, but Hermione knew it would be a while before they would get a chance to talk again.

***

Hermione and Fred didn't get a chance to be alone together again until Christmas night. Hermione couldn't sleep, so she decided to go to the twin's bedroom to check on Fred. She had been meaning to talk to him the past few days, but she had been more concerned about Harry since he had been convinced he was possessed by You-Know-Who. He had that idea out of his head now thanks to Ginny mostly.

Hermione quietly snuck out of their room when she was certain Ginny was asleep and headed toward the twin's bedroom. She felt nervous for sneaking to their room because she had never snuck out at night to visit Fred before. The idea of sneaking out to see him caused her to blush more than it should, but she missed him.

When she reached their door, she knocked softly before opening it. Fred and George jumped when they saw the door opening and quickly started hiding boxes. Fred sighed in relief when he saw that it was her and not Mrs. Weasley.

"Hermione, what are you doing here?" Fred asked, walking over to her.

"I...uh," Hermione swallowed nervously when she noticed that Fred didn't have a shirt on. George smirked at her before he threw a shirt at his twin. Hermione looked away pointedly when Fred realized what got her all flustered.

"Oh, blimey. Sorry about that," Fred apologized as he pulled the shirt over his head.

Hermione wanted to say it was ok, but she found that she actually didn't mind seeing him shirtless. He tilted his head curiously at her and raised an eyebrow. She blinked when she realized she had been staring at him and shook her head when a knowing smile appeared on his lips.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be here now. We can talk some other time," she stammered as she started to turn toward the door.

"Wait," Fred said, grabbing her hand to stop her. "We can talk now..." he glanced over his shoulder at George before looking back at her. George ducked his head and immediately began acting like he wasn't paying attention. "Let's go to the study room. We can talk in private there. Please?"

"Okay," Hermione whispered softly. She should've said no, but she knew she wouldn't sleep that night unless they talked again.

Fred looked surprised at the fact that she agreed to go there with him, but he didn't tease her about it. He held the door open for her instead. "I'll be back," he muttered to George, who had been watching them again.

George nodded, though Hermione was glad that he didn't smirk at her this time.

Fred shut the door, and Hermione started growing nervous. "He won't tell anybody about this, will he?" she whispered.

Fred shook his head confidently. "Not if I ask him not to. You can trust him. And _me_ ," he added pointedly. He placed a hand on her back to lead her toward the study room. "Come on," he said encouragingly. "We shouldn't talk out here."

Hermione nodded and they made their way into the room.

"What were you two doing?" Hermione asked curiously, once the door was locked.

Fred stiffened at her question. "Inventory," he finally answered a few moments later. "We're trying to get ideas of what jokes Hogwarts students like before we leave. I can't reveal more yet though. George would kill me."

Hermione opened her mouth to pursue the question further, but she decided to drop it. He trusted her enough to tell her that alone. That was enough for now.

"Why did you come to see me, Hermione?" Fred asked before she could think of something to say.

"I...I just wanted to see how you were. You were so upset when we didn't know what would happen to your father. I told you I'd be here either way," Hermione answered. She could feel her cheeks starting to grow warm as Fred continued to search her eyes for the answer.

 _He was trying to make her say it,_ Hermione realized with a start.

She closed her eyes and breathed in nervously. "And...and I...missed you," she said finally.

Fred's expression changed when she admitted that, and he walked closer to her and wrapped his arms around her.

Hermione stiffened at first, but then she relaxed as she smelled his familiar scent and buried her head into his shoulder. "I was so scared for you. For everybody," she admitted.

Fred wore a serious expression when he pulled away from her slightly and looked down at her. "I don't know how you got through to me. I wouldn't even let George talk to me. I was too upset. Thank you for being there though."

"That's what friends are for," Hermione muttered as she lightly ran a hand through his hair. Fred looked disappointed, though she didn't know why he did all of a sudden. She couldn't wonder about that now. Ginny could wake up and come looking for her.

"I should go," she said, pulling herself away from him. She didn't know if she could trust herself to be around him much longer.

Fred didn't answer. He instead pulled her close to him again and lowered his head to kiss her before she had a chance to realize what was happening. The kiss was the kind that made her knees weak. It was slow and sweet, and she couldn't help but respond to it. Viktor's kisses never made her feel like this before. She finally managed to pull away after a moment.

"You shouldn't have done that, Fred," she said softly, looking up at him.

"But I wanted to kiss you," he murmured quietly. He continued looking deep into her eyes and brushed a hair out of her face. "I've been wanting to for a long time. Ever since you told George and I that the age potion wouldn't work last year. I was embarrassed when you ended up being right about that," he admitted, chuckling softly.

"Yeah?" she answered breathlessly. She smiled up at him. "You should've kissed me a long time ago then." Fred opened his mouth to answer, but Hermione interrupted him when she placed her lips on his to return the kiss.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for reading!**


	7. The talk

Fred and George were showing off some new inventions in the court yard after a D.A. lesson when Professor Umbridge stopped them with a flick of her wand. Fred folded his arms and glared at her as he started to go after her. Somebody pulled him back though, and he looked down and saw that it was Hermione. The other students around them looked disappointed, but they were starting to disappear.

"She'll only put you into detention again. I don't want her slicing up your hand again," Hermione muttered, grimacing at the memory.

George was standing next to Fred, and Fred grinned at him. "She cares," he said teasingly, looking back at Hermione.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I'm going to the library," she said with a huff, though she held Fred's gaze a little longer as she said that. She had no intention of going to the library, but most people didn't try to look for her when she said went there.

Fred caught what she meant and looked at his twin. "I'm going to look up some stuff for our inventions. I'll see you at dinner?" he asked as he started to walk away.

It was George's turn to roll his eyes this time. "You don't have to keep secrets from me. I know there's something going on. I'm not going to tell anybody," he answered, glancing at both of them.

"There's nothing going on," Hermione answered truthfully.

Fred nodded in response. They had kissed on Christmas day that evening, but they hadn't had a chance to talk about it yet. He hoped that this meant that they would finally talk about it.

"Whatever," George said, though he grinned at Fred to show that he wasn't really annoyed.

Fred's attention returned to Hermione when George walked away. "You want to go for a walk?" he asked her.

Hermione nodded. "Yeah... let's go by the lake though. Nobody will bother us there at this time of the night," she answered.

It was starting to get dark out then, though Fred didn't care. He didn't let curfew keep him from doing what he wanted to do, unless if they were dire circumstances. He actually followed it when students were being petrified and when Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban. Professor Umbridge's detentions didn't scare him though.

They started walking toward the lake quietly, and Fred moved closer and reached for her hand. He was pleased when she wrapped her fingers in his. When they reached the lake, they sat down next to a tree. Silence formed between them and Fred cleared his throat nervously before he began speaking. "We need to talk about the kiss."

Hermione hesitated when he said that, though she nodded. "We kissed more than once that night," she pointed out, grinning.

A chuckle escaped Fred's lips as he ran a hand through his hair. "That we did." He gazed down at her seriously. "I just want you to know that those kisses meant something to me. I didn't see it as a one time thing."

Hermione squeezed his hand lightly when he said that. "They meant something to me too," she admitted shyly. Fred grinned as his stomach flipped when she said that. "But that scares me," she finished finally.

Fred gave her a questioning look. "Why does that scare you?" he asked her gently.

She shrugged her shoulders. "They scare me for lots of reasons. You're older than me. We're complete opposites. We've already fought loads of times. And I've never felt this way about anybody before. I really like you."

Fred laughed softly before answering. "Well, they say girls mature quicker than guys do. We're probably on the same maturity level. I am a kid at heart still though. I don't know if you noticed, but I love pranks and jokes." He paused as they laughed together.

"Age doesn't bother me. Sometimes opposites attract each other and help balance the other person. I could make you laugh more and loosen you up, and you can show me when to be serious. I think we fought so much before because you were trying to ignore your feelings for me," he added, winking at her. This caused Hermione to roll her eyes at him and to smack him lightly. "And for the last part... I've never felt this way about anybody before either. So we'd both be new at that."

He reached up and ran a hand through her hair lightly before placing a kiss on her forehead. "I really like you too. I think we should go out on a date and see where this leads," he finished. Fred studied Hermione's expression as she sighed and looked off somewhere across the lake.

"I don't know, Fred. I just... don't want everybody knowing that we're dating. I hated the publicity I got when I was dating Viktor last year," she said, shuddering at the memories.

Fred narrowed his eyes at the mention of Viktor's name, though he decided not to say anything about that. Ron often got jealous of Viktor, and those two usually ended up fighting over it. "Yeah, but I'm not Viktor. I'm not a famous Quidditch Seeker. I might run a joke shop one day-" Sooner than she knew, he added silently to himself. "But at the end of the day, I'll still just be Fred Weasley."

"Who happens to be an older brother of one of Harry Potter's best friends," Hermione reminded him.

That thought hadn't occurred to Fred, and he winced. "Blimey," he cursed, kicking at a rock. He could see what Hermione meant.

"And if we date, all eyes would be on us because I'm Harry Potter's other best friend," Hermione said. "We're in a war. You-Know-Who could use you because he'd know that you were close to Harry through me. I couldn't bear the thought of him torturing you. He's already gotten Ginny once."

Fred wrapped his arms around her and rested his head on hers. "What if we dated in secret?" he asked a few moments later. His eyes lit up as sat up. "We could date and not tell anybody about it. I'd eventually have to tell George because he's my twin, but we could make it work!" Fred said as he looked down at her.

"We'd be living a lie," Hermione said quietly. "Could you do that? Could you lie to everybody you care about? I don't know if I could keep this from Harry and Ron."

Fred thought about it for a few moments. "If George knew, I could live with it. I can't keep secrets from him, but I could keep it a secret from everybody else. Especially if it meant that I got to be with you." He lifted her chin and kissed her slowly.

Hermione pulled away after a moment. "Is this what you really want?" she asked him seriously.

Fred's answer came without thinking twice about it. "Yes. It's what I want," he said in a determined voice.

Hermione sighed, though she studied his expression again. She ran a hand through his hair before nodding finally. "Ok. I'll go on a date with you," she answered finally.

Fred's heart leaped in his chest when she said that, and he couldn't stop grinning.

"George can know...but I don't want anybody else knowing. We're already going to be figuring us out ourselves, and there's You-Know-Who..." she trailed off as Fred hugged her.

"That's all right. One date is all I ask for," Fred said happily. He already couldn't wait until he told George about this!

Hermione laughed as she shook her head. "I have no idea what I'm in for, do I?" she asked, as her eyes danced.

Fred shook his head. "No. You really don't. You're in for an adventure." He wagged his eyebrows up and down before he laughed and took her hand. "Come on. We should get back. I don't want you to get in trouble by Professor Umbridge or anybody else. I've got a short cut."

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading!! There will be more to come! Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does.**


	8. For old time's sake

A few weeks later,Hermione was the last person in the common room late one night, when Fred came back downstairs. They had decided to meet up after midnight again for old time's sake, though people were less likely to catch them together during that time as well. He walked over to her and wrapped his hand in hers. "Are you ready?" he murmured quietly.

Her heart danced in anticipation as she glanced around the room nervously before smiling and nodded.

They headed toward the seventh floor, and Hermione suddenly realized that they were going to the Room of Requirement. "We're going here for our first date?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, this room is unplottable on the Marauder's Map. Harry and Ron won't know we're together in here if they happen to look at it at any time tonight," Fred explained, wearing a confident grin. "You did want to keep our date a secret from everybody. This was the best option I thought of," Fred said as he waved at the door.

"All right," Hermione answered, smiling at him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders loosely as they turned to look at the door. "Let the date begin," she said finally.

Fred grinned broadly. "I thought you'd never say that," he said happily.

Hermione couldn't help but smile at his words. Sometimes she thought she'd never say those words either. But she surprised herself. She took a deep breath, feeling very similar to how she felt the first time she entered platform nine and three-quarters as they finally walked into the Room of Requirement. Hermione had no idea what to expect, but she had a feeling that Fred did by the way his eyes were twinkling.

The first thing she spotted was a pool table. Her eyes flew up in surprise as she walked around it, tracing its edges. "What's this?" she asked, hoping that her tone sounded more casual than surprise.

Fred chuckled as he crossed his arms. "You don't know what this is? It's a pool table. It's a muggle game."

Hermione gave him an impatient look. "I know _that,"_ she said pointedly. "I've been to some pubs with my parents on holiday before. How do you know about these? You're pureblood," she pointed out. She hated that she was placing him in her stereotypes, but pool tables really weren't common in the Wizard world.

Fred shrugged his shoulders lazily. "George and I found a bar in Egypt and we managed to learn how to play before Mum found us and threatened to ground us when we got home. She was already mad at us for trying to lock Percy in a tomb though." A wicked grin played upon his lips as he recalled the memories. His expression suddenly turned curious as he studied her reaction. "Does Ms. Brightest Witch of Her Age actually know how to play pool?" He looked at her in awe while waiting for her answer.

A chuckle escaped her lips. "A bit," she answered flirtatiously. "But I'm not very good at it," she added honestly. "I don't know if I could play against you though." The thought of that made her feel nervous, since she imagined him being good at it.

Fred's eyes twinkled again. "Oh, come on Hermione. It's just us two in this room. Nobody else is here to see you play." He waved a hand around the empty room. Hermione gulped as she realized once again that they were alone. "I thought this would help you relax and have some fun. Please?" He gave her a pleading look.

"All right," Hermione said finally, moments later. "Don't say I didn't warn you," she warned, pointing her finger at him as she picked up a stick.

He brightened up as she agreed. "Noted," he said as he expertly started racking up the balls. "Ladies first," he said, motioning for her to make the first shot. Hermione gave him a look and Fred held up his hands defensively. "I'm only trying to be a gentlemen," he answered defensively.

"Here goes nothing," Hermione said finally as she took the cube ball and aimed it at the balls across the table. She sighed as the cube ball managed to lap around the table and made its way back to her. "I told you I wasn't good at this," she said, groaning. "Your turn."

Fred chuckled as he walked over to her. "That's ok. That was only your first shot." He took his turn and managed to get two solid colored balls in. "You're stripes," he said when it was her turn.

A few turns later, Hermione was trying to focus her aim on the stripped ball in the far corner across her. The cube ball bounced off the corner and missed the ball completely. "What am I doing wrong?" She demanded in a frustrated tone.

Fred grinned as he picked up the cube ball and placed it back in the original spot she had it moments ago. "Ok, first of all, you're holding the stick wrong. Secondly, you need to relax. This isn't a Potions exam. This is only a game." His last words were affectionate. "Here, I'll show you."

Hermione was suddenly aware of how close they were to each other when he stood behind her and placed his hand over hers. His touch made her distracted, and she peered over her shoulder to glance at him. Her glance caused his eyes to meet hers, and she suddenly felt warm when she realized how much she wanted to lean in a bit more and kiss him. Her mind flashed back to their last kiss, and she suddenly tore her gaze away from him to focus on the task again. She didn't move away as he guided her through the shot and actually made the ball go in.

"I made it!" She cheered, as a triumph grin appeared on her face. Hermione suddenly threw her arms around his neck. "Oh, sorry," she apologized, backing away slightly.

Fred smiled slowly. "Never apologize for hugging me," he answered softly. The two continued their game. "Here's an interesting twist. For every shot you make, you tell something you either like about me, or something about yourself, and vice versa," Fred said suddenly after Hermione made another shot.

The suggestion made Hermione slightly flustered, but she nodded and paused to consider her options. "I like how you and George don't live by the rules," she admitted shyly. "My parents have always told me that rules shouldn't be broken, so I try not to break them."

She missed the next shot and turned to him. "Your turn."

Hermione watched as Fred made his shot. "I like how loyal you are to Ron and Harry. And I like the fact that someone like you wants to be with someone like me."

A blush appeared on Hermione's face as the last ball sank in. "I feel the same way about you," Hermione admitted shyly, moving closer toward him.

Fred looked down at her. "Yeah?" he asked softly. Hermione nodded. She couldn't speak if she wanted to then. "I can't stop thinking about our last kiss," he admitted. "Can I kiss you now?"

Hermione nodded without thinking about it. "Please," she murmured. Fred didn't waste another second. He lowered his head and placed a slow, soft kiss on her lips. Hermione's lips met his hungrily. To her surprise, Fred pulled away quickly. Hermione gave him a questioning look.

"I don't want to take advantage of you on our first date," he answered. "This isn't a hook-up. You're different from the other girls,"

"You aren't taking advantage of me," Hermione answered softly, surprising herself.

Fred shook his head stubbornly. "I want to take things slow this time. I want us to actually work. Let's go get ice cream or something." Hermione felt confused, but she nodded and they headed out the door.

Hermione and Fred managed to stay up in the kitchens talking until four a.m. eating ice cream and talking, though they stopped eating ice cream hours ago. They made their way back to the Gryffindor common room, yawning, though both were wearing sleepy grins while holding hands. When they entered through the portrait door, Fred stopped her.

"Some first date, huh?" Fred asked, grinning at her.

"Eh, it wasn't bad," Hermione said, pretending to think about it. "I'm glad I got to know you more though," she admitted softly. She blushed when Fred pushed some hair out of her face.

"I'm glad too." He gave her a cheesy grin. "So does that mean that we get a second date?" he asked her hopefully.

Hermione gave him a mock shocked look. "One wasn't enough?" she teased him.

Fred shook his head adamantly. "No way!" he said in a mock scandalized tone.

Hermione pretended to ponder seriously over her options, but she moved closer and kissed his cheek. "I think the odds of a second date are good," she muttered softly. "Thanks for not taking advantage of me earlier," she added.

Fred looked down into her eyes. "I meant what I said," he murmured softly. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. "We should go get some sleep," he told her finally.

Hermione sighed reluctantly. "I suppose. You're a bad influence on me," she added, poking his side as she laughed softly.

"Who, me? Never!" Fred said as they headed toward the stairs. Hermione stopped at the last stair and rolled her eyes. Fred chuckled and she watched as he took two stairs at a time. She shook her head as she headed to bed herself. Maybe there's a chance that she really would fall in love this time, she thought to herself as her head hit the pillow. Crazier things have happened before.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Otherwise, Fremione would be canon.**


	9. 93 Diagon Alley

Easter holidays came and went. Fred and George had quit pulling pranks over the holidays, and Fred admitted to Hermione that it was for her sake in front of Harry and Ron. George was the only one who had picked up on his comment. Harry and Ron had been too clueless, and it surprised Hermione at the time. The twins began causing trouble when term picked up again. Fred wasn't going to pretend to be a saint.

Fred knew that their time at Hogwarts was coming to an end though, especially when things at their shop were finalized. He felt guilty for not revealing any of his plans to Hermione, and George wasn't helping his conscious at all. _George was supposed to be the sensible twin_ , Fred thought to himself as they climbed up the flight of stairs to the Gryffindor tower.

 **"** You need to tell her our plans. I can't believe you haven't told her yet!" George said to Fred as the twins were heading back from Transfiguration.

Fred sighed as they climbed up the stairs to the Gryffindor tower. "And how am I supposed to start a conversation like that? 'Hermione, your hair looks lovely today. By the way, George and I are dropping out'?"

George sighed in frustration as he slung his bag over his shoulder impatiently. "Yes, that's what you're supposed to do at this point." He widened his eyes as he saw Hermione sitting with Ginny. "Go talk to her now! Right now, right now, right now!" George pushed Fred hard as he said those words.

"Ow! Geez, mother," Fred said sarcastically. He didn't know why George cared so much. He was the one that was in a relationship with Hermione.

 _"Now,"_ George hissed as he went over to join Angelina and Lee.

"Ok!" Fred hissed as he sighed when he looked at Hermione. She looked so carefree, so beautiful...if only he didn't have to tell her this news. George was right though. Now was probably the best time to talk to her. He approached Ginny and Hermione's table slowly. He could feel that George was watching him, though he wished he wasn't. He was nervous enough about this.

"Hi, Hermione. I was wondering if you could help me find a book at the library? I've got a killer Potions essay due next week." Hermione jumped when Fred addressed her, and Ginny glanced at him suspiciously.

"She's two years below you," Ginny pointed out.

Fred grinned. "Yeah, but she's a walking library. She knows where everything is at the library better than Madam Pince does. I don't want to waste my valuable time looking for a _book."_ He made a face at those words.

Ginny seemed to buy this since her gaze turned to Hermione instead. Hermione was avoiding eye contact, but she nodded. "Sure, Fred. I'll go to the library to help you find this book. Ginny, I'll see you at dinner?"

Ginny narrowed her eyes. "Sure. But I better get details of this later," she warned as she waved Hermione away.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "This'll be completely boring and _non_ -detail worthy," she said in a bored tone as she gathered her books.

"Yeah, I'm sure I'll fall asleep while Hermione looks for the book," Fred couldn't help but add. "She always takes forever at the library." Oops. That comment earned him a glare from Hermione, though he couldn't help but feel like this was working in their favor.

Hermione whacked him in the shoulder with her book. "I won't be doing all of the work. You'll be helping too. You aren't blind," she snapped at him as she stood up. Her gaze softened when she met his eyes briefly, and Fred had to hide a smile.

"You're right," Fred said cheerfully. "I'd have to be blind to not notice how beautiful you look today," he said, glancing down at her and winking. He grinned as Ginny threw him a strange look. Hermione blinked, though he couldn't help but feel pleased as he saw two pink spots appear on her cheeks. He loved catching Hermione off guard like this.

"Come on, there's no time to waste!" Fred said, pulling her by the hand. He waved at Ginny and glanced over at George. George gave him a relieved smile and gave him a thumbs up sign as they exited the common room. Fred could feel his confidence disappearing as they continued walking toward the library. He closed his eyes. _It was nice knowing you, George,_ he thought to himself. He was pretty sure that Hermione was going to kill him soon.

Fred could see that Hermione was opening her mouth, but he held up a hand. "Can you not yell at me now please?" he pleaded. "We can talk in private." Hermione scowled, but continued to follow him.

They didn't get a chance to go to the library like he planned though. Before Fred realized what was happening, they were being sucked into the secret closet that sucked them in ages ago and started this whole thing. A grin spread across his face as Hermione groaned. "Not this _stupid_ closet again! I've never even heard anything about it! It's not in Hogwarts: A History-"

Fred cut Hermione off by backing her into a wall. He closed his eyes and captured her lips and pulled her into an embrace. The kiss caught Hermione off guard, but she relaxed in his embrace and kissed him back. The kiss started off slowly and gently like it usually did before, but it quickly electrified when he kissed her deeply with passion. His stomach got that sensation that caused it to knot like it usually did when they kissed, causing him to pull away breathlessly.

Hermione slowly opened her eyes and gazed at him with some sort of wonder. "Wh..what was that for?" she managed to breathe out.

Thoughts started whirling around in Fred's mind as he looked down at her. _I love you._ The sudden words caused him to stumble backwards in shock, and his eyes widened. No, he couldn't say _that_ right now. They were in a secret relationship. If he told her that, then everything would change. Those words terrified him. He couldn't say now, not before George knew it too. There was another reason he couldn't tell her right now. He tried to gain focus on it as he tried to remember what it was. He let out a breath as he remembered it.

The shop.

"Fred?" Hermione's voice sounded gentle and worried. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. "Are you all right?" She ran a hand through his hair, and he caught it and held on.

"You...you aren't going to like me in a minute," he began to say after his breathing turned to normal. "Not after what I have to say." He swallowed nervously as Hermione gave him a confused look.

Hermione laughed softly as she pulled him into a hug. "You're my boyfriend... of course I'll like you. You can tell me anything," she said gently.

Fred's heart leaped when she called him her boyfriend. His eyes widened in surprise. They had been dating for a few months now, but they hadn't actually said boyfriend or girlfriend out loud.

Hermione pulled away from him, looking embarrassed. "I'm sorry," she muttered. "I feel silly for saying that now."

He caught her and pulled her close to him again. "No, I like the sound of it. I've never...been anybody's boyfriend before. I want you to be my girlfriend too. But before you decide to keep me..." Fred swallowed nervously. "I've got something to tell you."

Hermione gave him a questioning look, but stayed quiet to allow him to continue. "Harry gave money to us so we could open a joke shop. It was his Triwizard Champion money. He didn't want it, and forced us to take it. As you already know, we've been inventing all sorts of things. We finally found our premises recently. And...we're dropping out of Hogwarts tomorrow during our diversion for Harry."

Hermione's eyes widened as she dropped a bag she was holding. "Wh-what? You're leaving? You can't leave Hogwarts! Your seventh year is the most important-"

Fred shook his head as he wrapped his arms around her. "Hermione...school has never been important to us. Not like it is for you. We've always dreamed of opening our own joke shop. And now we finally have. There isn't anything left at Hogwarts for us besides you. Dumbledore's left. And we can't _stand_ that old hag. We have a few pranks up our sleeves especially for her." He grinned, though it disappeared when Hermione sniffed as she looked down.

His heart sank when she suddenly buried her head into his shoulder. He slowly wrapped his arms around her protectively as she cried. "Hermione...don't cry, please," Fred murmured softly, stroking her back gently.

"I'm scared...I'm scared for Harry, and now I'm scared for you too. I don't want you two to get punished. Harry won't listen to me, and you're leaving Hogwarts? It's not fair! Hogwarts needs you. I need you," Hermione said as she pulled away.

Fred gently wiped away the tears that were streaming down her face. "You'll still have me," he said finally in a hollow voice. "I may be leaving, but I'll still be yours." He lowered his head and kissed her cheek gently. "If you'll still have me?"

Hermione sniffled as she looked down. He was glad to see that her tears were gone when she looked back up again. "I'm yours," she said softly, nodding as she kissed him again. "Please, be careful," she whispered.

He nodded as he wrapped his arms around her and held her. "I will be," he promised her. They continued holding each other for several long minutes until they finally decided to go back to the common room. Tomorrow was going to be a big day. Fred had to put all of his concentration into it if he was going to keep his promise to Hermione. He wasn't going to let anybody get caught if he could help it.

It was almost show time, and Fred hadn't seen Hermione all day. He was sort of glad he hadn't seen her, because he might've talked himself out of leaving if he had seen her. He told George a little bit about what happened last night, but not about the part where he realized he loved Hermione. He was keeping that to himself for now. Those words would distract him if he thought about them too much like he had the night before. He could tell George about that after the plan.

They left the Great Hall for the last time, and Fred paused to look at his twin when they left. George had been silent since they pretended to eat a last meal. "Ready George?"

George glanced over at his shoulder and smiled mischievously. "Ready, Fred." They nodded at each other simultaneously as they made their way toward the entrance hall to put their plan into action.

Their prank was completed successfully. However, it gained almost everybody's attention since everybody began circling around them. Fred was careful not to look for Hermione, especially when Professor Umbridge and Filch showed up. George and Fred glanced at each other when they realized they were cornered, but Fred kept his cool as Umbridge began speaking.

"So! So... you think it's amusing to turn a school corridor into a swamp, do you?"

Fred grinned. _This woman had no idea who she was dealing with,_ he thought to himself thought to himself before answering. "Pretty amusing, yeah," he said, not showing any signs of fear.

Filch waved his stupid form toward Umbridge. "I've got the form Headmistress. I've got the form, and I've got the whips waiting... oh, let me do it now..."

Fred suddenly spotted Hermione, and her eyes grew fearful at the word whips. He wished he could tell her everything would be ok, but he knew he couldn't then.

"Very good, Argus," Umbridge said. "You two are about to learn what happens to wrongdoers in my school."

His gaze returned to Umbridge. "You know what? I don't think we are," he said confidently. He turned to his twin. "George," Fred said. "I think we've outgrown full-time education."

"Yeah, I've been feeling that way myself," said George lightly.

"Time to test our talents in the real world, d'you reckon?" asked Fred.

"Definitely," George said.

They raised their wands and said together, "Accio brooms!" Fred waited, though a crashing noise let him know that this part of the plan was working. Their brooms hurtled along toward them.

"We won't be seeing you," Fred told Professor Umbridge as he mounted his broom.

"Yeah, don't bother to keep in touch," George said as he did the same.

Fred looked around at the crowd. He briefly caught Hermione's eye one last time, though turned his attention back to the crowd. "If anyone fancies buying a Portable Swamp, as demonstrated upstairs, come to ninety-three Diagon Alley, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes," he said loudly. "Our new premises!"

"Special discounts to Hogwarts students who swear they're going to use our products to get rid of this old bat," added George.

"STOP THEM!" Umbridge cried. Fred knew it was knew this was no use though. They already flew fifteen feet into the air.

His eyes found Peeves, who was across from him. Fred gave him a fixed, determined look. "Give her hell from us, Peeves." Peeves swept his belled hat from his head and sprang to a salute as Fred and George wheeled about to tumultuous applause from students below and sped out of the open front doors into the glorious sunset.

Fred and George made it to their joke shop awhile later talking a mile a minute. They were comparing notes on how the prank went when an owl arrived shortly after they got there. George caught it as it dropped a letter, and handed it to Fred.

"It's for you," George said, giving him a knowing wink.

Fred recognized the handwriting immediately and broke out into a grin. "It's from Hermione," he said as he walked over to the stairs to read the letter in private. The letter was only one line long, but it caused him to keep his smile for the rest of the night.

 _You were brilliant,_ the letter started. _I'm so proud of you._

"What did she say?" George said as he came up behind him a few moments later.

"That I'm brilliant," Fred answered cheerfully, handing the letter to his twin so he could read it. Fred couldn't help but think that everything would be all right from here on out.

* * *

**A/N: This is one of my favorite chapters in the entire series and I had fun writing this one. Always brings a smile. Thanks for reading! Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize. Otherwise, Fremione would be canon.**


	10. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter fast forwards to the end of the summer before sixth year. Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, otherwise Fremione would be canon.

Hermione was in her own bed at home reading after dinnertime. She had been home from Hogwarts for almost the whole summer now, and was still getting used to the quiet. Her parents usually spent the evenings together watching the television downstairs, but she didn't feel up to spending time with them tonight.

Fred and Hermione had been handling their long distance by writing letters back and forth, but she hadn't been able to see him since the day he left school since her parents took her on several trips that summer. That was their favorite past time when she was home from school.

She was due to go to the Burrow the day after tomorrow, and Hermione couldn't wait to visit the Burrow again. Fred said that they would be there for dinner once, so she looked forward to seeing him again. The Weasleys had already started talking about visiting the twins shop too.

That night, Hermione was homesick for Hogwarts, and reading usually helped her take her mind off it when she got that way. Hermione was absorbed into her book when she suddenly heard someone knock at her door. It was her mother.

Mrs. Granger poked her head through her door and Hermione closed her book. "Honey? Some of your Weasley friends are here to pick you up early."

Hermione frowned as she got up from her bed and checked her calendar. She was supposed to have two more nights with her family, but she wouldn't mind going early. "Is- is that all right?" Hermione asked tentatively. She already had most of her Hogwarts things packed, but she didn't want to seem too eager to leave. They were her parents after all, no matter how misplaced she sometimes felt there.

"Of course it is, sweetie," her mother said, running her hands through Hermione's hair and looking at her sadly. "I know you must miss your friends when you're home. I'll help you carry your things." Hermione nodded and didn't ask how she knew that she already packed.

When she walked downstairs, she was startled to see Fred and George Weasley standing there. Hermione jumped in surprise when she saw them, though her heart skipped when she saw Fred grinning at her.

"Hello, Hermione," he said, winking at her. "Dad wanted us to pick you up a day early. He had to work though." Hermione narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously, though she tried not to let her parents see. She didn't want them to suspect something was up.

"We better not be flying," she said as a cover up, as her father chuckled. He liked to tease her about her fear, though Hermione tried not to take it personally anymore.

"Of course not," Fred answered in an amused tone.

"We wouldn't dare!" George added, looking scandalized at the very idea.

Her father chuckled again. "I like these two. You should bring them around more often. I liked bonding with them."

Fred's grin grew, and Hermione let out a sigh. She should've figured that this would've happened. She wasn't sure if it was a good thing that her dad liked her boyfriend or not. "We should probably go," she said pointedly to the twins.

"Right-o!" Fred said cheerfully as he and George collected her trunk and Crookshanks' cage. He turned and waved at her parents. "It was nice to meet you!"

Once they were out the door, Hermione rounded in on Fred. "What did you and my father talk about?" She narrowed her eyes when the twins exchanged a look.

"Nothing for you to worry your pretty head over," Fred answered with a smile. "Come on. We're Apparating." He held out his arm, and Hermione glanced over at George, who just smiled secretively at her. Hermione reluctantly held onto his arm and shut her eyes nervously.

She glanced around when she opened her eyes and saw that they weren't at the Burrow. She opened her mouth to protest, but Fred was smiling down at her. "I took you to our flat," he admitted, nodding at George. "I wanted to see you before you went off to school again. We don't have to do anything. You can have my bed tonight. I'll sleep on the couch. I just really missed you." He walked closer and slowly wrapped his arms around her waist.

Hermione glanced at George, but he winked as he backed away into another room. "I'll leave you two love birds alone," he said, smiling at them.

She turned back to Fred, though his confidence had turned slightly nervous. "Is this ok? I can take you back to your parents," he said quickly, though Hermione shook her head.

"No, no. It's fine. You surprised me. I didn't expect to see you until tomorrow."

Fred gave her a crooked grin at her words. "Mission accomplished then. Come on, I have a surprise for you. You're going to have to put on this blindfold though."

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. "Can I see your shop first?" she asked him. She had been looking forward to seeing his shop after all of their letters they had sent this summer.

Fred shook his head mysteriously. "You can see that with the rest of the family. This is the reason why I wanted you here tonight." He waved his hands at her impatiently. "Go on! Put it on!"

Hermione gave him a skeptical look before she tied the blindfold around her head. Fred made sure that it was tied properly before he took her hand and started walking somewhere.

Fred took the blindfold off and a gentle breeze brushed through Hermione's hair as she glanced around. They were on a beautifully lit rooftop as the stars were appearing. She saw a table for two with dishes on it. Her heart fluttered as she smiled at him. "You did all of this for me?" she asked him softly.

He placed his hands into his pockets and shrugged sheepishly. "Yeah...I wanted to do something nice for you before you left for school, this seemed like a perfect idea." Fred pointed at the stars as he said that.

Hermione walked over to him and kissed him softly on the lips. "It's brilliant," she assured him.

Fred held her close to him a moment longer. "You have no idea how glad I am that you made it out of the Department of Mysteries alive," he told her, looking down at her eyes. "It feels good to actually be seeing you again."

She ran a hand through his hair as she gave him a mischievous grin. "They couldn't kill me that easily," she replied. "What did you make for me?"

"Spaghetti. It's one of the few dishes I've perfected," Fred replied and Hermione gave him a skeptical look as she looked down at it.

"It's safe, isn't it?" she asked, though a small smile was playing at the corners of her lips.

"Of course it is! I would never poison _you_ ," Fred answered, looking scandalized at the very thought.

Hermione giggled as she wrapped her hand in his. "I'm only teasing you. Lighten up," she said, nudging him with her elbow.

Fred chuckled as he pushed the chair out for her. "That used to be my line for you. It's funny how things change." He watched her as her face turned serious suddenly.

"Yeah. I still can't believe you and George left school." She glanced up at him and smiled as she squeezed his hand lightly. "But I'm so proud of you. I'm sorry for not saying that in person." Fred's heart warmed when she told him that she was proud of him again and reached for her hand as well.

"It's ok," he reassured her. "I'm proud of you too. You got rid of that old bat! You said in a letter that you were going to tell me about that story in person...go on! Don't keep a person hanging like this!" Hermione laughed again, and Fred grinned as she launched into her story. He knew some of the details because Ron had told the family about it over one of the family dinners, but it was nice hearing it from her point of view.

"And that was what happened...I wish things had ended differently for Harry though. I feel so bad for him." Hermione looked worried, so Fred squeezed her hand. He was desperate to make her feel better.

"He'll be all right eventually. The ones we love never really leave us after all. He'll see him again." Hermione gave him a surprised look, but covered it up by leaning over the table to kiss him.

"You always know what to say to make me feel better," she said, smiling at him.

"I don't really. George is the sensitive twin. I don't know what I'm saying half the time during times like these," Fred admitted honestly.

"You could've fooled me. You're amazing," Hermione said, meeting his eyes. Fred blushed when he saw the warmth in them, and glanced down when his heart flipped again.

"I love you!" he blurted out suddenly when she started eating again. Hermione paused in mid bite and stared at him.

"Wh...what?" Hermione stammered.

"I love you...I love it when you compliment me and tell me how proud you are of me. It makes me feel good about myself. I love how you've given me a chance, and how you aren't mad that I didn't write back often this summer. I love how you have looked past our differences. You're the amazing one." Fred glanced up at Hermione when she remained quiet for longer than a few moments.

"How long have you...loved me?" Hermione asked him shyly.

Fred shrugged and ran a hand through his hair nervously. "I don't know...awhile now. I think I knew when I told you we were leaving school. I got scared when I realized it then, so I didn't say anything then-"

Hermione cut him off by leaning across the table and kissed him deeply. "I love you too," she murmured softly.

"Really?" he asked in an awed tone. "You aren't pranking me?"

Hermione chuckled as she shook her head. "Pranking is your area of expertise. When can I see your shop?" she asked him eagerly.

Fred laughed as she tried to change the subject on him. "You can see it with everybody else when they come in," he promised, and she sighed impatiently.

"I can't even get a peek?" she asked him with wide, innocent eyes.

"Not if you want to keep us a secret," Fred answered, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "They might get suspicious if you recognize things already."

Fred stood up suddenly and held out his hand. "Dance with me," he said, looking down at her.

Hermione gave him a strange look. "There's no music though," she protested, looking around.

He shrugged casually. "We don't need any music. I just want an excuse to have you in my arms. I've wanted to dance with you since the Yule Ball. I figured that now might be the only chance for awhile."

Hermione's expression softened as she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him. "You're something else, you know that?" she asked him as they began to sway in silence.

"So I've been told," Fred murmured. The two stayed like that for an hour. They didn't stop dancing until Hermione shivered suddenly.

"Come on, it's getting cold up here. I don't want you getting sick," Fred told her promptly. Hermione reluctantly followed him downstairs.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for reading!**


	11. Patented Daydream Charms

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Otherwise, Fremione would be canon.**

* * *

Fred was helping a customer find an item one day when George came up to his side suddenly after finishing a sale. "Your girlfriend is here," he muttered into his ear, jabbing him in the side and pointing at the door. "And so are Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Mum."

Fred gave his twin a look when he jabbed him, but then he realized what he said. "Hermione's here? With Harry and Ron? Bloody hell... what do I do? George, we've never been around each other with them around. Ron wanted to kill me just for returning her book that one time, and I was just flirting with her then. I wasn't serious."

George rolled his eyes at him. "You aren't afraid of _Ron,_ are you? Just relax, mate! Be yourself. Ron is our brother. Harry gave us money for the joke shop. They aren't going to kill you here if you happen to slip. Hermione might though," George added as a last thought.

Fred grimaced at those words. He hadn't thought of that until then, and the thought made him even more nervous. George started steering him toward them. "Go on," he said in an encouraging tone. He nodded and took a deep breath as he followed his twin. George was right. He had nothing to be afraid of here.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were looking around as they got closer. Fred overheard Hermione read something out loud. "Patented Daydream Charms..." He watched as she got closer and held his breath as she read the information on the back of the box.

"One simple incantation and you will enter a top-quality, highly realistic, thirty minute daydream, easy to fit into the average school lesson and virtually undetectable (side effects include vacant expression and minor drooling). Not for sale to under- sixteens.' You know," she said, looking impressed as she looked up at Harry. "That really is extraordinary magic!"

Fred's heart soared as he finally made his way behind her. He had been hoping for a positive comment from her when she first picked up the box. "For that, Hermione, you can have one for free."

He beamed as Hermione jumped and they turned around to look at him. "How are you, Harry?" He shook hands with him and glanced quizzically at Hermione when he saw that she was sporting a black eye. "And what's happened to your eye, Hermione?" Fred asked, titling his head in concern.

"Your punching telescope," she answered ruefully, giving him a quick look.

"Oh, blimey, I forgot about those," Fred said, as he carefully started rummaging around his robes for the antidote. "Here-"

He pulled a tub out of his pocket and handed it to her. "Just dab it on, that bruise'll be gone within the hour," Fred said. "We had to find a decent bruise remover. We're testing most of our products on ourselves."

Hermione gave him a skeptical look that he knew all too well. "It is safe, isn't it?" she asked him.

A grin spread across Fred's face as he heard those familiar words. She had said those words the last time they were together about his cooking. "Course it is," he said gently, meeting her eyes meaningfully.

Ginny was giving Fred a suspicious look, so he reluctantly turned away and looked at Harry for a distraction. "Come on, Harry, I'll give you a tour," Fred said quickly, glad that he had thought of something to escape his sister's questioning gaze. He stole one last glance at Hermione before leading Harry away, but she was busy dabbing her black eye with the paste.

They ran into George a few moments into the tour, and the two started explaining to Harry about their new Defense Against the Dark Arts line. Verity found them awhile later, and George told Harry to help himself to anything with no charge.

"You don't pay here," Fred said firmly, waving Harry's money away. The twins didn't want Harry to pay since he helped them get started.

George hurried away to help the customer Verity told them about, so Harry and Fred went to find Hermione and Ginny again. "Haven't you girls found our special Wonder Witch products yet?" he asked them. A small smile appeared on Hermione's lips. Harry and Ginny missed it, but Fred caught it before it went away. "Follow me, ladies," he said, glad that he thought of another excuse to be around Hermione for a moment longer.

"There you go," he said proudly, waving his arms at the display. "Best range of love potions you'll find anywhere."

"Do they work?" His sister asked him.

"Certainly they work, for up to twenty-four hours at a time, depending on the weight of the boy in question-" Hermione smirked as she picked one of the bottles up as George appeared at his side again.

"And the attractiveness of the girl," George finished. "But we're not selling them to our sister. Not when she's already got about five boys on the go from what we've heard."

The three of them continued their argument until Ron showed up, and Ginny turned on him. Their mother showed up moments later and scolded Ron for something.

Fred used this moment to grab Hermione's hand and pull her a few aisles away from them. He gave her a quick kiss on the lips and pulled away quickly. "Hi," he murmured quietly.

"Hi," she answered, smiling up at him. "You started that argument on purpose, didn't you?" she asked him, her eyes twinkling.

Fred shrugged. "I had to kiss you at least once," he admitted honestly, giving her an amused look.

Hermione blushed and started to squirm away. "I should go back before they notice that I'm gone," she said sadly.

"Wait," he said quickly, placing a hand on her shoulder. Hermione gave him a questioning look, and he tried to think of what to say next. His expression turned serious as he gave her a hug. "Promise me you'll be careful. I don't want to come close to losing you again," he whispered into her ear.

Hermione ran a hand through his hair quietly and kissed his cheek. "I'll try," she said moments later. "You be careful too."

Fred nodded as he looked down at the Patented Daydream Charms box. "Let me know if you daydream about me," he said, winking at her.

"Oh, you!" Hermione said, slapping him with the box lightly.

Fred held up his hands in protest and laughed. "You know you want to," he teased. "Who wouldn't want to daydream about _me_ for thirty minutes?"

The two were laughing softly together when Harry found them suddenly. Fred and Hermione immediately stepped away from each other with wide eyes. Harry glanced at them back and forth before looking at Hermione, looking frantic "Hermione, I need to show you and Ron something. Come on," Harry said, grabbing her hand as he pulled her away.

"Thanks for everything, Fred. We'll be right back...if Mrs. Weasley asks about us, can you cover for us?" Hermione asked him quickly.

Fred's eyes narrowed as Harry gave Hermione an impatient look. "Yeah, I'll tell her that she overlooked you," he said slowly, though he couldn't help but feel uneasy. He was already lying to everybody about their relationship. He didn't want to lie about something else too. He also couldn't help but feel worried about what they were up to this time as they disappeared. He sighed as he turned to find the rest of his family. Fred couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen.

He must've returned to them with a serious look on his face, because George gave him a questioning look. This caused the rest of the family to look at him. "Everything ok?" George asked him curiously.

Fred shook his head quickly. He gave George a look that he hoped said that he would talk to him later. "I'll tell you later...it's private business stuff," he added for his mother and sister's sake. George narrowed his eyes, but he dropped the subject as he moved on to show them something else.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading!**


	12. Two Can't Keep A Secret

Hermione was walking to Hogsmeade with Harry and Ron. She hadn't seen Fred since they met at the shop, and she missed him more every day. She had been tempted to use the daydream charm a few times in class, but each time she talked herself out of it. She didn't want to waste it, though she knew that Fred would probably give her another one if she wanted another one.

Harry was talking about Draco again, and Ron and Hermione had given each other knowing looks and pretended to become deaf. Hermione looked around and saw students everywhere. They had just walked away from Honeydukes when she suddenly saw Fred and George walk into Honeydukes from the opposite direction as them and stopped in her tracks.

The twins were in Hogsmeade? Her heart started dancing. Why didn't Fred tell her he was coming to their first Hogsmeade visit? She had mentioned it in their last letter.

"Hermione?" Ron stopped when he saw that she wasn't beside them anymore. He gave her a concerned look. "Are you ok? You look like you saw a ghost."

 ****She blinked and shook her head. "I think I did..." Just when she decided to tell Ron about Fred, the Weasley twins walked out of Honeydukes, and headed over toward them. "Fred and George are here," she said, unable to keep the small smile off her face.

"What?" Ron asked sharply, but he looked over at the direction she was looking at. She nodded in confirmation.

"Well, if it isn't Ickle Ronnikins," Fred said, reaching up to mess up Ron's hair. Ron scowled and whacked his brother's hand away.

"What are you doing here?" he asked in an unhappy voice.

George frowned at him. "It's nice to see you too," he said pointedly. "It's good to have some brotherly love."

Fred took advantage of that distraction by winking at Hermione. She blushed, but gave him a meaningful look. She was glad to see him even though she hadn't expected to see him that day.

"We're trying to work on a new experiment, and we needed some ingredients from Honeydukes," Fred told them.

"And we were hoping to see you lot," George said suddenly. "After all, Harry was our financial backer."

Fred glanced over at his twin, and Hermione saw a smile start to form. "Yeah. We were wanting to go to Three Broomsticks. Do you want to join us?" Hermione was the first one to nod, though the other two had agreed as well. She was grateful for the chance to spend time with Fred without raising suspicion.

They ordered their drinks at the bar, though Fred placed a hand on hers when she started to get money out for her butterbeer. "I'll take care of it," he said, winking at her.

"I can pay," Hermione said quickly when she noticed that Ron and Harry were looking at them curiously.

"A lady should never pay for her own drink. It's really no trouble," Fred said and he set some coins down on the counter. Ron opened his mouth to protest, but he narrowed his eyes at Fred and scowled instead.

Hermione gave up on changing Fred's mind, though she smiled at him when Harry and Ron started a conversation and mouthed, "Thank you."

Fred reached over and gave her hand a small squeeze, but quickly let go so the other two wouldn't see.

The twins had to leave shortly after that, and Fred lingered near Hermione for a moment longer when they said goodbye. "So, is there any chance that I can get a hug for paying for your drink?" Fred asked her, wagging his eyebrows up and down.

Hermione giggled and pushed him away lightly. "It was only a butterbeer," she scolded him lightly.

"But it was worth more than that to me." Fred looked like he meant the words, but Hermione laughed again. She saw Ron's eyes had darkened over Fred's shoulder. She decided to let go the idea of the hug.

"Thank you for the drink," she said politely, trying to give Fred a pointed look. Fred caught on and turned to his twin.

"Well, we must be off. Stay out of trouble, you three." George winked at them as he started walking away.

"Don't go blowing up any toilets," Fred said with a grin.

They turned away, and the three started walking back toward the school.

Ron seemed to get moodier as they continued on, and Hermione couldn't take it anymore. "Ron, what's wrong?" she asked him. Before he could answer, a scream erupted through the air. Their heads turned toward the direction of it, and she saw Katie Bell in the air.

Her hands went up to her mouth, and Fred and George suddenly rushed over to them. "Who screamed? We heard somebody scream right when we were about to leave-"

Fred cut George off and looked up. "Katie!" he gasped.

Hermione went toward Leanne to comfort her and started muttering soothing words. Her concern for Ron had disappeared.

Harry suddenly reacted. "Wait here! I'll go get help!"

"Hurry," Hermione urged as Ron joined her side. He didn't meet her eyes, but he wrapped an arm around Leanne's shoulders as well.

Harry returned with Hagrid, and Hagrid took Katie to the hospital. "Professor McGonagall wants to see us. You should visit Katie though," he said to the twins, and they nodded and walked into school.

Hours later, the trio were safely back in the common room. "Poor Katie," Hermione sighed as she glanced out the window. "I still can't believe that that happened to her. How did she get hold of that necklace?"

"It was Malfoy," Harry said firmly. Hermione rolled her eyes and she glanced at Ron to share their knowing look they had when Harry got like this, but he ignored her. She frowned as Harry went on. "Malfoy couldn't have gotten that past Filch though, Harry. We were all checked before we left."

"Yeah, but he could've had a minion," Harry began to say, but Ron spoke up finally.

"Enough, Harry."

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "Oh, you've decided to speak to us finally, have you?" she couldn't help but snap.

Ron gave her a cold glare. "Believe me, Hermione. You don't want me to say anything to you right now."

"What did I do now?" Hermione asked, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration. She never knew why Ron was mad at her.

"Nothing," Ron muttered as he headed toward the boy's dormitories.

"No, this isn't about nothing. Ron-"

"I know that you like my brother." His words caused her to widen her eyes in surprise. She hadn't expected that. "I can't believe that I was too stupid to realize it before."

"Ron-" Hermione said softly, though she didn't really know what to say.

"Don't bother denying it. I could see it in your eyes. You never looked at me like that. How long have you liked him?" Ron demanded as he glared at her.

Hermione swallowed and looked at Harry. She hadn't expected her friends to find out like this, and she felt awful that they found out like this. "I-"

"Never mind. I don't want to know," Ron muttered darkly. "I'm going to bed."

Harry placed a hand on her shoulder. "We'll talk tomorrow...I should check on him," he said as he gave her a sympathetic look.

Hermione nodded, though she felt numb still. She had to do something to fix this, though she didn't know how to fix it. "Why did I ever think this was a good idea?" she muttered as she headed to bed herself. 

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading!! Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**


	13. One step at a time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fred and Hermione deal with the fact that her best friends have suddenly found out about them.

Hermione and Ron weren't speaking to each other again, and she couldn't help but feel disappointed by that. Fred didn't know that her two best friends knew about them, though she was planning on telling him when things were resolved between them. Harry finally managed to pull her into an empty corridor after class one day.

Harry sat there in silence for the first few moments before he cleared his throat nervously. "So... you and Fred? How long has that been going on for?"

She swallowed. Hermione had expected Harry to yell at her for upsetting Ron the way she did, but this calm reaction was rather surprising for Harry. She tried to think of the exact date. "Almost a year ago," Hermione answered.

Harry's eyes widened in surprise. "A year?" he asked in a hallowed voice. "You have been keeping a secret from us for a year?"

"I thought I was doing the right thing!" Hermione snapped, suddenly feeling annoyed with him. "I was trying to protect him from the media...and from You-Know-Who. He could easily use my loved ones for bait to get you too. You saw how The Daily Prophet ate up my relationship with Krum. I didn't want to repeat that again."

Harry grew quiet for several moments while he thought about that. "Yeah, but you still should've told us. We're your best friends....at least I thought we were."

Hermione reached for Harry's hand quickly. "You are! I don't know why I kept it a secret from you." She gave a feeble shrug. "It seemed better that way at the time."

"I understand," Harry said finally after a few moments. "You deserve to be with somebody who makes you happy. I'll talk to Ron. I'm sure he'll come around eventually."

Harry tried to talk to Ron a few times, but Ron continued to be mad at Hermione for a few weeks. She didn't feel like attending a quidditch game when it finally came, but she still felt like she had to support them as a team. She had accused Harry of putting his lucky potion in Ron's drink, but that accusation had caused another fight between her and Ron. Hermione had been thinking about ending the fight after the quidditch game until Ron and Lavender kissed at the party and he kept parading her around much to Hermione's annoyance. She knew he was purposefully trying to show off, and that made her furious.

When Slughorn's Christmas party arrived, she had no problem writing a letter to Fred to invite him to be her date. They decided that they would let the rest of the world know about them at that party.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Harry asked her when she told him the news.

"Of course. I'm tired of hiding. If it annoys Ron, that makes it all the better." She glared at Ron and Lavender when they weren't looking.

"Come on, can't you just-" Harry began, but Hermione interrupted him.

"No, Harry. I can't. We both need to get ready for the party. I'm really glad you asked Luna. Though I know George isn't very glad about it," Hermione said, as she smiled.

Harry frowned at her comment. "We're just going as friends. What does George have to do with this?"

"Oh, nothing."

"Hermione!" Harry stepped in front of her and pretended to pout.

"Fine. He likes her. He's just too chicken to tell her."

"Really? George and Luna? That's almost as unlikely as you and Fred."

Hermione gave her friend a look, but he quickly added, "But you two make a great couple! I should get ready..." He rushed upstairs before she could make another comment. Ron looked over at her and opened his mouth to say something to her, but she narrowed her eyes at him and headed upstairs.

"Hermione, wait."

Hermione sighed impatiently when she heard Ron's voice, but continued walking when she saw that Ron looked like he was about to start another argument. She didn't have the time to argue with him now.

 ****Hermione sighed as she checked the time for the millionth time in the past minute. She fiddled with her bracelet nervously as she stood outside the Gryffindor common room. They had agreed to meet there, but when she decided that he wasn't going to show, she headed down there without him.

Cormac joined her side and wrapped and arm around her shoulder when he approached her outside of the Great Hall. "Hello Hermione," he said in a charming tone. "Going to Slughorn's party dateless? We can go together!"

A groan escaped her lips, and she pushed his arm off her. "I have a date," she muttered coolly as she quickly picked up her pace to get away from him.

Cormac looked around in amusement. "Really? Is it Viktor Krum?" he asked teasingly as he placed an arm around her again. They had reached the party by this time.

Hermione reached for her wand to hex him as a voice spoke from behind them. "I think you're standing a little too close to my girlfriend."

Her heart fluttered as she spun around despite the fact that she was slightly annoyed with him for being late. "Fred!"

Cormac's eyes widened in surprise. "Fred Weasley is your date?" he asked suspiciously. "I thought you'd be going with Ron Weasley. Does he know you're going with his older brother?"

"I'd keep your nose out of other people's business if I were you," Fred answered darkly as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Cormac narrowed his eyes before he walked away with a huff.

Fred kept his eyes on Cormac's retreating back, but he wore a grin when he looked at Hermione again. He leaned down to kiss her. "I know, I'm late. I'm sorry. George and I were working on an experiment and then he wanted to visit Katie at St. Mungo's again. Oliver, Angelina and Alicia were there as well, and we lost track of time while catching up. I'm sorry," Fred said gently, kissing her cheek again.

"It's ok," she answered softly. "I was just worried. You never know what'll happen out there these days."

His expression changed slightly and he pulled her closer. "I didn't even think about that. I'm sorry. I should've written a letter to you." Fred pressed a few kisses on her forehead.

They headed in and Harry and Luna showed up moments later. Hermione's eyes widened when she saw everybody in the room and her heart lurched nervously. She looked up at Fred and he gave her an encouraging smile. "We don't have to do this if you don't want to. We can just tell everybody we came as friends."

Hermione shook her head quietly. "No, I'm tired of hiding our relationship. Let's go say hello to some people," she muttered back as she bravely took a step forward.

Harry smiled at her when he spotted her, though his expression grew curious when he saw Fred standing next to her. Hermione smiled brightly back and began speaking. "Hi Harry! Hi Luna! I see you two just escaped Cormac as well," she said, nodding toward him.

Fred wrapped his hand in hers, and Luna smiled when she noticed. "Oh, are you two going out? I always thought it'd be you and Ron," she asked, giving them a curious look.

Hermione moved closer to Fred and nodded. "Yeah, we've been going out for a while now." She decided to ignore the comment about Ron.

"Good for you! It's strange how opposites attract sometimes."

Harry stepped forward suddenly. "I'm ok with you two dating," he said. "Well, more ok than Ron is. If you hurt Hermione though, I'll have to hurt you. She's my best friend," Harry warned Fred.

"Harry!" Hermione said, shoving her friend lightly.

"It's ok," Fred said, nodding at Harry. "I'd probably say the same thing if I was in his position. I promise I won't hurt her."

Hermione shook her head at them. She hadn't expected her best friend to react like this. It was almost such a Ron thing to do. A slow song came on then, and she was glad for the chance of a distraction. She quickly grabbed Fred's hand. "I love this song... will you dance with me?" She asked as she led him away.

Fred chuckled and waved at Harry and Luna. "I guess I can't turn down this offer," he said as he placed one hand on her waist and held her close. They were the only ones dancing at first, but Slughorn thought that their idea to dance was a splendid idea and was ordering pairs to join them on the dance floor. People were giving Fred and Hermione curious looks, but so far nobody else was giving them a hard time. Ron was the only person who was giving her a hard time.

Hermione placed her head on Fred's shoulder as they continued swaying to the music. "Hey, quit worrying," Fred murmured softly in her ear.

Hermione looked up at him in surprise. "How did you know I was worried about something?"

"You have that look. Ron will come around eventually. Life is too short to worry. Just relax and enjoy this moment with me. Please?"

A smile appeared on her lips and she stood on her toes to kiss him. "You're right. No more worrying. I promise."

Fred beamed and held her close again. "Since Harry and Ron know about us now... would you mind if the rest of my family knew about us? I'm sure mum would love to have an excuse to have us over for dinner."

Hermione widened her eyes as she grew fearful at the thought.

Fred cleared his throat. "I thought that was a good idea... but maybe it's not?"

She took a step back. "It's a good idea... but I don't know how your mum will feel about us. I don't want her to be upset about us like Ron is."

Fred gave her a look. "I thought you didn't want to hide our relationship anymore. It sounds like you're taking a step back."

"I'm not taking a step back. We just started telling people here...I just feel like we're taking too many steps at once. Can we please come back to that idea later?"

A flash of disappointment flickered through Fred's eyes, and Hermione felt guilty. "Hey..." She trailed off to kiss him softly and met his eyes. "I love you. I'm in love with you. You know that, right?"

Fred sighed and nodded. "Yes. I just hate having to hide my feelings for you. I'm glad that George knows about us, but I want to show you off to the rest of my family too."

Hermione kissed his cheek. "You will. Just..one step at a time...Please?"

Fred nodded after a moment. "Will you still come to the Burrow for Christmas?" he asked her softly. "It'll be a good excuse for us to be together."

Hermione chuckled softly and nodded. "I wouldn't miss that for anything."

A fast song came on, though they continued slow dancing even though they were the only ones slow dancing now. Fred kissed her on the lips suddenly. "By the way, I love you too." Hermione smiled and pulled herself close to him again.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize.**


	14. Christmas at the Burrow

**A/N: I don't own Harry Potter, and this is definitely AU.**

* * *

Hermione spent the week leading up to Christmas at the Burrow. She almost didn't want to go, but the twins had talked her into going by promising they would be there as well.

Unfortunately, she didn't get to spend as much time with them as she would've liked to. Hermione hung out with Ginny most of the time, and Harry a little bit, but she carefully tried to avoid Ron. They would always have awkward silences whenever they were near each other. Fred and Hermione did get to sit next to each other at meal times, and that was the most they saw each other most of the time.

This made her happy though. Their arms and knees would casually bump into each other whenever they passed the dishes around, and every once in a while they would hold hands underneath the table when they were certain that nobody would notice.

 ****The first couple of times they held hands, Hermione blushed and she was certain that Ginny had raised a skeptical eyebrow at them. Ginny didn't arrive at Slughorn's Christmas party until late so she didn't know about her and Fred yet. Hermione played it cool, and Ginny thankfully didn't question her. She tried not to blush when they held hands again.

Christmas morning arrived, and Hermione got up when it was still dark out. The house was quiet when she slipped out of Ginny's room. She had decided that she wanted to surprise Fred since they hadn't been able to spend any time together since their first night there.

She slowly opened the twin's door and walked in quietly. George wasn't in the room then, but Fred was sleeping soundly. Hermione hesitated for a moment before bravely deciding to slip under the covers and snuggled up next to him. He looked so peaceful when he was sleeping, she thought as a smile played on her lips. She almost didn't want to ruin the moment, but she had to admit that she liked the idea of these stolen moments.

She leaned down and pressed her lips on his, and he stirred awake in surprise. " _Hermione_ ," he said in a shocked tone. His arms drifted toward her sides and he held her close. "What are you doing here? Not that I mind..."

"I just wanted to surprise you...and say Merry Christmas to my boyfriend," she said as she ran a hand through his hair.

He continued looking astounded at the fact that she was there. "Consider me surprised...this is very scandalous, especially for you," he pointed out.

Hermione blushed and looked away. "This was a terrible idea...I should just leave," she muttered as she started to get out of the bed.

Fred caught her hand and pulled her close to him again. "No, no... stay. At least for a few minutes. Please?" he gave her his most charming smile and she could feel herself being pulled toward him like a magnet.

"All right... for a few moments," she responded finally before snuggling against him again. She grinned when she looked up at him.

"What?" Fred asked curiously.

"Nothing, nothing," Hermione said quickly, knowing that Fred would tease her if she told him what was on her mind.

"You just had a thought about me," Fred whispered in a pleased tone. "I could see it in your eyes. Tell me, please."

Hermione sighed before moving closer to whisper in his ear. "Have I ever told you that you look incredibly sexy without a shirt on?" She rolled on top of him.

"No...you didn't," Fred replied teasingly. A gleam appeared in his eyes as he traced circles down her arm. "Do you have any other thoughts to share?" he asked hopefully.

She shook her head. "I can't think of anything right now," she murmured. "Are you going to kiss me now or what?"

He answered her by flipping her over so that he was now on top of her. Her heart sped up.

"Don't mind if I do," he answered, before lowering his head to kiss her. The kiss had been soft and sweet like they usually were. But after a moment the kiss became urgent.

Fred groaned when he reluctantly pulled away. "Hermione...I don't have much control when we get like this."

Hermione ignored him and ran a hand through his hair. "I love you," she muttered, softly placing kisses along his collarbone. "I'm in love with you..." she slowly placed kisses down his other shoulder.

"Can the others know about us yet?" Fred asked suddenly.

She froze mid kiss as she thought about her friend's reactions. She didn't want another round of that, but Hermione suddenly decided that Fred's happiness was more important. She swallowed nervously and nodded. "Yes. We can tell them today."

Fred's face lit up enthusiastically when she answered. "Really? You mean it?" he asked, looking like he could dare to believe it.

Hermione nodded. She couldn't trust herself to speak since she felt nervous, but she didn't have to. Fred had cupped both sides of her face and kissed her again for another moment. "I love you too... so much," he said as he wrapped his arms around her.

The door suddenly opened, and Hermione heard a gasp from the doorway. "FRED WEASLEY!"

Fred's eyes widened in fright and he quickly sprung out of bed. "MUM! How... how really corking to see you!" He stammered.

"Don't you give me that...everybody is downstairs, including George, and-" Mrs. Weasley looked shocked when she realized that Hermione had been in bed with him and shrieked his name again. "FRED WEASLEY! HERMIONE GRANGER!"

Hermione winced when her name was screeched in her high- pitched tone. She normally liked to remain on Mrs. Weasley's good terms.

"EXPLAIN YOURSELVES!"

When they didn't immediately answer, Mrs. Weasley started scolding Fred. "How dare- how dare you be in bed with a girl under our roof? You know better than that-"

"It was my fault," Hermione blurted out, causing Fred and his mother to look at her in surprise.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous, my son ought to be ashamed of himself for taking advantage of you... you poor girl."

Hermione shook her head. "He didn't take advantage of me. He would never take advantage of me. Fred really is a gentleman. You should be proud of him...what you walked in on was completely innocent. But there is something that we have to tell you...everybody," she corrected herself when Fred gave her a look.

Mrs. Weasley looked startled, but she finally nodded. "Very well, dear. Bill and Charlie have just arrived. I suppose now is as good of a time as any."

She motioned them to follow her. Hermione swallowed, and Fred placed his hand in hers before kissing her cheek. "It'll be ok," he promised her. "I'm right here." She gave him a faint smile as they made their way to the living room.

Fred started to let go of her hand when they walked in, but Hermione held on at the last moment. "Everybody will know in a few moments," she muttered. "If they don't already," she added as she studied their stunned faces.

Mrs. Weasley's furious face turned to them once more. "Now that everybody is here... _explain yourselves."_

Hermione closed her eyes. She wished that Mrs. Weasley hadn't spoken like that... now everybody knew something was up for sure. Curiosity showed on their faces now, and she looked at Fred. He squeezed her hand lightly and she stepped forward.

"Hi everybody...Merry Christmas!" Hermione said softly, shrugging her shoulders feebly. She couldn't tell them first...she just couldn't.

Fred smiled at her, as if reading her thoughts before finally speaking. "Hermione and I have something to say...we-"

"We're in a relationship," Hermione said, quickly getting the courage to take over. Ginny's eyes looked like they wanted to pop out of their sockets. Mrs. Weasley's tea cup broke and tea was now pouring down her shirt, but she took no notice. Mr. Weasley looked like he had no idea what was going on, and Bill and Charlie looked impressed. George gave her a thumbs up sign, and Harry smiled at her. Ron was the only one who was looking away.

"Yes," Fred said as he placed a kiss on Hermione's cheek. "We've been dating for about a year now. It just...happened."

"I know you all probably have mixed feelings about this," Hermione said as she studied their expressions. She wrapped her arms around his waist and smiled up at him. "But I love him."

Fred gave her a special look as he glanced down at her. "And I love her," he answered, smiling broadly. "I hope everybody's all right with this. She's the best part of me... she really is. Hermione's my girlfriend," he announced proudly, as his smile grew even bigger.

Hermione laughed as she grinned back. She knew she would never forget the look he was giving her then. Tears started to form in her eyes. "Fred's my boyfriend," she said, chuckling as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She buried her head into his shoulder to hide her tears and he hugged her tightly.

"Oh!" Mrs. Weasley gasped again. This time it was a happy one. She quickly walked over to hug them. "I always knew that you would wound up with one of my boys," she said happily. "I just didn't expect it to be this one here," she said, tugging Fred's ear.

Fred winced as he whacked his mother's hand away. "Mum, please!" he said, as he pretended to look embarrassed.

"Just promise me that there won't be a repeat of what happened upstairs again here," she whispered sternly.

Hermione and Fred locked eyes, and she could tell that Fred had already found a way to work around that promise by the way the corners of his mouth tugged up mischievously. "Nothing happened. But we promise," he said.

"Absolutely," Hermione promised as the others joined them. 

Ginny squealed as she hugged the two of them. "You have to tell me everything later!" she begged.

"I'll tell you some of it," Hermione answered as Fred gave her a startled look. Everybody congratulated them, and finally Ron was standing in front of her awkwardly.

"I've been a prat," he admitted finally.

"You think?" Fred and George answered together.

Hermione whacked Fred on the shoulder and shushed them. "It's ok, Ron," she told him, smiling at him.

Ron shook his head stubbornly. "I shouldn't have treated you like that. Fred clearly makes you happy. I'm sorry... for everything. I think it's ok if you two are together. As long as you don't snog in front of me too much," he added as Hermione beamed at him.

Fred looked like he wanted to say something, but Hermione beat him to it. "I promise," she answered as she hugged Ron tightly.

Ron patted her back awkwardly, but he gave her a real hug after a moment. "Let's not fight anymore," he muttered.

"Let's not," she agreed as she pulled away to be pulled away by the twins.

"Well, Granger... I guess you're all right," George said, pretending to study her suspiciously. "Oh, who am I kidding? You had my approval a long time ago. That's right, I knew before everybody here... they didn't even tell me!"

"Oh, hush up before I tell everybody who you like," Fred said as he casually wrapped an arm around her shoulder. He kissed Hermione on the lips when nobody was looking. "Thanks for the best Christmas present ever," he told her.

"That was just one of your presents," Hermione said quickly. He gave her a quizzical look, so she whispered that she had a special evening planned for them. The stunned look he gave her made her chuckle and feel self conscious again.

"I'm giving you your present when we're alone again," he whispered. Hermione nodded before she stood on her toes to kiss him.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading!**


	15. Darkest Hour

**A/N: I've decided to go ahead and skip to the seventh book because there aren't really very many Fremione moments in HBP, and I didn't want to recite the books. So this chapter will take place after Dumbledore's funeral and it is sticking to movie canon slightly because Hermione doesn't obliviate her parents memories in the books, she modified them. Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. JK Rowling does.**

* * *

Hermione sighed as she looked around her room. She didn't know when she would be home again, though she didn't think it would be for a long time. She had been packing to go to the Burrow for days, but her parents didn't know she was going there.

"Hermione dear, the tea is ready!" Her mother called from downstairs.

"Coming mum!" Hermione called out as she gathered her things. It was time to leave. She knew what she had to do, but it was going to be so hard.

She crept downstairs and studied her parents. They looked happy and carefree as they watched tv and sipped their tea. They didn't have the weight of the Wizarding world on their shoulders like she did. She finally gathered her courage to get out her wand. She slowly raised it to the back of their heads and muttered, "Obliviate."

Hermione glanced around the room and saw herself disappearing from photos she had originally been in. A tear slipped down her cheek as she thought about how the memories of her were slipping away from her parent's minds without them even being aware of it.

"I'm sorry, mum and dad," she muttered. She gave them one last look before walking out of the house to head to the Burrow. Goodbye, she thought as she blinked back the tears.

* * *

Fred and George had just finished doing the dishes when they heard a knock on the door. They gave each other a curious look. It was storming out, and they weren't expecting any company that night. Their mother suddenly appeared in the room.

"Who could be here at this late hour?" she asked.

Fred shrugged and walked over toward the door. "I don't know, but I'm going to find out," he said briskly.

"Don't just open the door!" his mother scolded him.

Fred ignored her as he peeked out the window. His face broke into a smile as he turned to look at her and George again. "It's Hermione!" he said happily.

His mother glanced at the door worriedly. "Hermione? I thought we were going to pick her up tomorrow...Fred, she could be an imposter!"

"Mum, stop. I know my own girlfriend. I'm not letting her stand out in the rain all night," Fred replied impatiently. He opened the door before she could say another word.

"Hermione! What are you doing here?" he greeted her happily. "Not that we mind you coming here early...Hermione?" He was immediately concerned when he saw tears rolling down her cheeks.

He wrapped his arms around her protectively. He hadn't seen Hermione this upset before, and it scared him. "Love," he whispered as he placed a kiss on her forehead. Fred wasn't the type to really give pet names to his girlfriends, but at that moment he felt he should. "What's wrong?" Her body shook when she buried her head into his chest.

His arms wrapped tighter around her as he made soothing noises. "Shh...it's ok," he whispered, running a hand through her hair.

"Hermione...you should talk to him." Fred looked up to see Ron standing next to them, wearing a solemn look on his face. Hermione jumped when she heard his voice. Fred gave Ron a quizzical look. He couldn't help but feel jealous that his brother looked like he knew what was wrong with Hermione and Fred didn't.

"It's ok," Ron assured her as they stared at each other. Hermione nodded and took a deep breath.

Fred looked at his mother and his brothers. "Can we have some privacy, please?" he asked them quietly.

His mother's face softened. "Of course, dear. Come on, Ron... George. You can help me with some wedding tasks."

Fred and Hermione sat down when they disappeared from the room. Fred muttered a charm for the room so they couldn't be heard and waited patiently for Hermione to talk.

"I'm sorry for arriving like this," she said finally. "I told myself I wasn't going to cry, but it was just too hard not to..." her voice trailed off as she locked eyes with him.

"I erased myself from my parents memories tonight...to protect them from You-Know-Who," she whispered.

Fred's eyes widened. He didn't know what she was going to tell him, but he hadn't guessed that it was this. "What?" he asked incredulously.

Hermione took another deep breath. "I'm not going back to school this year either," she added quickly.

Fred gave her a surprised look. "What do you mean you aren't going back to school? You love school...dropping out was more my thing," he added.

She placed a hand on top of his hand. "Ron and I are going to go on a mission with Harry. We're going to defeat You-Know-Who."

Fred felt his heart drop in his chest as he stared at her speechlessly. All of this just seemed to be one thing after another. He began laughing uncertainly after a moment. "That's a good one... you almost got me there, Hermione."

Hermione simply stared at him and didn't say anything. It was then when he realized that she was serious.

"What?" he exclaimed loudly. "You're really putting yourself in danger by going off on a mission to defeat a dark wizard? Do you know what you're getting yourself into?"

Hermione placed her hands on his face. "Please don't be mad...this is harder for me than it is for you!"

Fred scoffed as he looked away. "When were you going to tell me all of this? When you just disappeared in the middle of the night?"

"I wasn't going to tell you," Hermione muttered quietly.

Fred threw her a hurt look. "You were just going to leave me?" he whispered quietly.

"It was to protect you!" Hermione cried as tears rolled down her cheeks again. "I erased my parents' memories to protect them... and I was going to leave you to protect you...so You-Know-Who couldn't torture you. I can't bear the thought of him hurting you...or worse."

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders when he grew quiet and rested her head against his forehead. "Fred... I told you once that he could get to Harry through you because we're together. I love you too much to let that happen. For what it's worth... I am telling you now about this."

Fred's expression softened a little bit. "So...you aren't leaving me?" he asked. He could feel hope bubbling in his chest.

"I'm still going with Harry and Ron...but I'm not leaving you like that. I can't." She shook her head. "I don't know how I'm supposed to protect you though."

Fred cupped her face and kissed her lightly. "It'll be ok...he won't get to me. If he does, I'd never give away information about you guys. You know that."

Hermione looked at him sadly. "I'll still be away from you for who knows how long...we wouldn't be able to write or talk. It'd be too risky."

"We'll make it," Fred assured her.

"I don't know... it'll be hard," she murmured worriedly.

"What's life without a little bit of risk?" Fred asked her, grinning slightly. He wasn't crazy about the idea of letting Hermione go on this mission, but he had faith that she would be ok somehow. "We can make this work somehow," he added as she rested her head against his shoulder.

"How can you be so sure?" Hermione asked him quietly. "Long distance relationships are hard enough as it is when people are able to talk to each other."

He shrugged. "Because you're you and I'm me. It'll be ok. I promise."

"Can we just stay like this for a while and forget everything?" Hermione asked after a moment.

"Absolutely."

* * *

**Hermione's POV**

The first upsetting night was forgotten a few nights later, and Fred and Hermione were back to their normal selves.

"So, we're collecting Harry tonight?" Hermione asked as several of them sat down to have a meeting about that night.

"Yup. A number of us are going to pretend to be Harry," George said.

"We heard that you have taken polyjuice potion before," Fred said a little too casually. Hermione narrowed her eyes at Ron. His ears had turned pink, and he ducked his head quickly.

 _Wise move_ , she thought bitterly.

"When did you take polyjuice potion?" Fred asked in an impressed tone.

"When I was in my second year," she said coolly as she tried to help get the meeting back on track.

"Wicked," Fred said in an impressed voice. "I always knew you were brilliant... you really did break rules before. Who were you trying to impersonate?"

"I'm not sure you're ready to know," Hermione answered in the same cool voice. "Moody, would you care to put us back on topic?" she asked him pointedly.

"Certainly...now, as you all know-"

"I think we are ready to know," Fred interrupted as he placed an arm on the back of her chair.

"Come on, it can't be that bad really," George added as he sat on the other side of her.

"You two are impossible," Hermione said, shaking her head. "Remind me why I'm dating you again?" she asked Fred.

"Because I'm charming, and good looking," he replied without missing a beat. "Come on now, you don't have to hide anything from me," he said, winking at her.

"Fine. I was trying to turn into Millicent to help Harry find out who the Heir of Slytherin was," Hermione said, keeping her head straight.

"Really? Did it work?" Fred asked casually. A little too casually, she thought, narrowing her eyes.

Hermione looked over at Ron. "What did you tell him?" she muttered angrily.

"Nothing, I just told him you perfected it-"

"Let's get back to the meeting!" Moody interrupted angrily. Fred gave Hermione a look that said that their talk wasn't over, and she sighed. She didn't exactly want Fred to know what happened when she took the potion the first time.

* * *

Fred walked over to her as they were about to leave that night. "Tell me, please," he said with a smile.

Hermione sighed as she gave him an irritated look. "We're about to go on a dangerous mission, and this is what you care about?"

He shrugged helplessly. "I just want to know what it was like when you first took the potion... that's all. It is my first time, and you have previous experience."

"I turned into her cat, ok? I grabbed a strand of cat hair by mistake and had to stay in the hospital wing for a few weeks...it isn't funny!" she said, smacking him on the shoulder as he cracked up.

"Yes it is. I wish I could've seen that."

"Jerk," Hermione said, sticking out her tongue at him.

"That's mature of you," he said, smirking. "I could die on this mission, and that would be your last word."

Hermione looked annoyed for a second and then her face fell as she turned away from him.

"Hey, I was joking," Fred said as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Don't joke about that," Hermione muttered softly.

"I'm sorry...you know making jokes is how I cope with situations like these," Fred told her.

"I know," she said, sighing. "I just wish we were back here already. You know I don't like flying."

Fred brushed a hair out of her face and kissed her. "It'll be ok," he assured her. "I promise."

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading!**


	16. Darkest hour part II

**A/N: This is a little steamier than usual towards the middle. I don't think the rating needs to change since most young adult books have those types of scenes now these days anyway. Again, I'm trying not to repeat the book canon scenes since we have the books for that, but the chapter now takes place right when the trio gets back to the Burrow in the 7th book. Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

* * *

A while later, the trio had made it safely back to the Burrow from retrieving Harry from the Dursleys. Harry had rushed over to hug Ron and Hermione, and Tonks had gone on about how Ron had been amazing. Ron looked offended at the look of shock Hermione had given him and muttered, "Always the tone of surprise."

Hermione gave him another look, and rolled her eyes, though she smiled at him. She suddenly remembered where they were and looked around for Fred. "Where's Fred?" she asked Harry after she saw he wasn't in the yard.

Harry winced. "He's not back yet. I'm sorry."

Hermione closed her eyes and Ron patted her shoulder comfortingly. "He'll be ok. He's good at defense spells." Hermione nodded, though she still kept looking around for him.

Harry spoke again finally. "Hermione...you might want to prepare him," he said slowly.

She whirled around to look at him. "Prepare him for what?"

"George has been injured. He lost an ear."

Hermione's eyes widened. _George was injured? Fred wasn't going to take that well._ "I have to go see him!" She heard somebody else arrive as she was about to run inside so she whirled around. Her breath caught when she saw it was Fred. He looked fine, though tired. Hermione ran toward him and wrapped her arms around him. 

Fred lifted her off the ground slightly and kissed her deeply. "You're ok," he murmured, sounding relieved.

She nodded. "Yes," she said when they pulled apart slightly. "But George...he needs you." She looked down sadly.

Fred frowned at her. "George? George is hurt? Is he alive?" His eyes widened in fright.

Hermione bit her lip nervously as he studied her. "He...he..." she couldn't finish the sentence because Fred suddenly took off running toward the house.

Hermione threw a worried look at Harry and Ron before she ran in as well.

She stopped suddenly when she saw George on the couch...the sight of the blood made her gasp and place a hand on her mouth.

Fred was running a hand through George's hair softly. "Georgie?" His voice sounded terrified, so Hermione inched closer before placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. Fred looked up at her briefly before returning his attention to his injured twin.

"How are you feeling, Georgie?" Fred asked him. Hermione felt relieved when George finally opened his eyes at the sound of Fred's voice.

George gave Hermione a slight wink before looking back at Fred. "Saint- like," he breathed out.

Fred's eyes widened in terror as he turned toward their mother. "What's wrong with him?" he demanded to know.

George tugged on Fred's arm and pointed to his ear "Saint-like..." he spoke even louder. "You see...I'm Holy, Fred. Holey." A wide grin spread across George's face. "Geddit?"

A grin appeared on Hermione's face and Fred looked down at his brother in exasperation. "Pathetic. Pathetic! With the whole wide world of ear-related humor before you, you go for holey?" Fred chuckled and shook his head as he looked over at Hermione. The relief on his face was obvious.

George suddenly said casually, "Ah well. You'll be able to tell us apart now, anyway, mum," he said, looking at their mother.

Conversations started up around the room again, though Hermione lingered by Fred's side for a few more minutes. "I'm really glad you're all right..." she looked down as she realized that he didn't have one of his ears again. "I mean-"

George held up a hand. "I knew what you meant, Granger. And thanks...thanks for being there for Fred as well." He nodded toward Fred, and Fred stood up to kiss her on the cheek.

Hermione couldn't help but blush when he did that, though she hugged him for a moment. "You're welcome."

"It looks like Harry might need you," Fred said, nodding toward Harry. "It's all right... I'd like to stay here with George for a while if you don't mind."

"Of course," Hermione answered immediately. She lowered her voice so nobody else would hear them. "Can we...can we meet later?" she whispered.

Fred gave her a wink and a nod. "Of course," he said, mocking her. Hermione rolled her eyes at him and pushed him lightly before she started walking over toward Harry.

"Did you see that?" She heard Fred say jokingly. "My girlfriend is so abusive...I don't know how I put up with her."

"You know she can hear you, right?" Hermione heard George ask him. Hermione smirked and rolled her eyes before she met up with her friends.

* * *

Hermione pulled a sweatshirt over her shirt as she started to head out the door. She heard a knock and frowned when she slowly opened it. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Fred standing there with his arm resting casually on the door frame.

"What're you doing here?" Hermione asked, casting a glance at Ginny.

Ginny rolled her eyes at Hermione. "He's here to see you, silly."

Fred smirked. "She's right...I thought I'd be the one to sneak out to see you for once. I thought it'd be a nice change."

"It is," Hermione said as she placed a kiss on his cheek.

"Get a room," Ginny said, throwing a pillow at the two of them. "On the second thought, don't," she said, shuddering as she got a book out.

Hermione linked hands with Fred as she turned to look back at Ginny. "I'll be back later...will you cover for me?"

"Yes. Just go before I change my mind," she replied as she opened her book.

"We're happy to oblige," Fred murmured mischievously as he let Hermione walk past him first before closing their bedroom door.

Hermione turned toward him and gave him a questioning look. But before she could ask him what he was up to, he started leading her down the stairs. "We're sneaking out," he whispered as they walked.

Hermione's eyes widened. "Fred... I don't think this is a good idea. This isn't Hogwarts. It isn't safe to go out at night during these times. Plus, your mum would be furious if she found out."

"Granger, relax. I'll protect you," Fred murmured, letting a hand brush against her face. She closed her eyes as she felt electricity rush through her body from that one simple touch and nodded quietly.

Fred smiled at her as they started walking down the stairs quietly. They made their way out of the house undetected, and Hermione breathed a sigh of relief as they started walking closer toward the woods. "I honestly thought that we'd be caught," she admitted as they kept walking.

He shook his head. "Fred Weasley doesn't get caught, remember?" Fred winked at her and started walking faster.

"Can you tell me where we're going?" Hermione called out.

Fred shook his head again. "No, it's a surprise. It's not much further now."

They finally stopped at the foot of a tree, and Hermione saw steps leading up toward it. She gave Fred a quizzical look. "You have a tree house? You never told me that."

He nodded. "George and I built it when we were younger, though Charlie and Bill helped us when they were on breaks. We made it be a no girl zone, but...that was back when we were kids. " Fred shrugged sheepishly.

Hermione grinned as she pictured the twins being young enough to hate girls. "That's cute," she said, laughing softly.

"Yeah, well. We grew out of that," Fred said as he pointed to her. "Come on." He stepped aside to let her climb up first.

Hermione gasped when she made it to the top. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but she knew she didn't expect to see candles lit everywhere and a blanket in the middle of the floor with a basket beside it. "Oh, Fred!" she said, turning to look at him.

Fred gave her a small smile and they both sat down once they were inside. "Were you surprised?" he whispered as he pulled her toward him and rested his head on her shoulder.

"Yes..." she leaned over and kissed his lips briefly. "I was." She grew quiet as she remembered her conversation with Harry and Ron earlier.

Fred didn't seem to notice the sudden change in her since he started opening the basket. "Good! I was hoping you would be. Now, I'm not much of a cook, and I didn't want mum to know what was going on, so I made sandwiches for us."

"That's fine," Hermione answered quietly.

He tilted his head and gave her a strange look. "Woah, where'd you go just now?" Fred questioned her.

"Harry wants to leave after the wedding...he just told us tonight." Hermione moved closer toward Fred and he wrapped his arms around her.

"What? I kept hoping that maybe he'd forget about the mission...I don't want you to go."

She closed her eyes and let the warmth of his body comfort her. "I promised him though." She tilted her head so she could look into his eyes. "I'm going to miss you...more than you know."

The look that Fred gave her was so adoring that it made her knees weak. "Love..." Fred's voice trailed off as their lips met halfway. The kiss was slow at first, but then it turned urgent when Hermione had a rush of desire to kiss him as if her last breath depended on it. The change seemed to have shocked Fred at first, but he didn't object nor pull away. Hermione shifted slightly so she could climb into his lap and let her knees rest on either side of his waist. A groan escaped from his lips and he breathlessly pulled away. "Hermione," he murmured lustfully.

Hermione lowered her head and began placing kisses on his neck. "Shh...don't stop. Please."

Her words caused him to pull apart in surprise. "Where is this coming from?" Fred asked her curiously.

Hermione pulled away slightly and sighed. "This could be our last time alone together for a really long time. We might not see each other again, and..." her body trembled at the thought but continued talking. "I don't want any regrets about any of our time together."

She lowered her head shyly as he continued looking at her, listening patiently. "I regret not being with you properly on Christmas night..."

Fred gave her a confused look. "You were with me though. You spent the night with me."

Hermione nodded. She quickly realized she was going to have to spell this out. "I regret...being afraid that night..." Her body shook and she realized that it was from fear and anticipation more than the cold.

Fred's eyes flew up in surprise, though he didn't move away from her. "You regret not having your first time with me then?" he asked her quietly.

Hermione nodded again. "I was terrified that night and I'm sorry for backing out...you were wonderful by being patient. And it just made me love you more."

"And right now..." Fred's tone wasn't demanding, it was just patient.

"I'm still terrified." Hermione's answer was quick. Fred looked like he was getting mixed signals from her then. "But I'm ready. I want my first time to be with you. Before we might not see each other again for a long time...before forever."

Fred looked deep into her eyes, and she held her breath. "Are you sure, love? You know I'd never pressure you into this. I didn't then, and I don't want to if you really don't want to this time either."

Hermione nodded quickly. "Please."

Her voice was filled with desire, and his expression changed. She used that moment to kiss him softly again. "I love you," she murmured between kisses. She kept her voice soft and gentle and began trailing kisses down his neck. "It's ok. I promise." She wrapped a hand around his and squeezed it lightly.

Fred slowly brushed a hair out of her eyes to study her. "I love you," he murmured finally. "I've done this before, but..." he swallowed nervously. "This would be my first time that I've been in love." He ran a hand through her hair. "Are you completely sure?"

"I am."

His eyes widened in surprise again and he drew a shaky, deep breath. "Ok...ok." He leaned in to place a slow, meaningful kiss on her lips.

Hermione allowed herself to be drawn into the moment, but after a moment she pulled away. "I thought we were going to..." her voice trailed off.

A chuckle escaped from Fred and he gave her an amused look. "We are, love. I just want to take it slow since it's your first time."

She gave him a mock, flirty look. "But won't fast be better?"

"I never thought I'd hear you say that. Next time, if that's what you want. But this time....slow." He met her lips again. Hermione closed her eyes and allowed herself to enjoy the time she had left with him.

* * *

**Fred's POV**

Hermione didn't get to speak to Fred again really until the reception. He was waiting for her at the tent and George announced that he was going to flirt with their Veela cousins. Hermione gave Fred a half curious, half amused look. "I thought George liked Luna?" she questioned Fred.

Fred shrugged his shoulders. "I have no idea what's going on between those two. One minute there's a connection, and the next he's flirting with other people. It must drive poor Luna crazy."

"She doesn't seem to notice his flirting though," Hermione noted airily, nodding toward the girl. Luna was dancing by herself and the two grinned at each other.

"No, she doesn't." Fred suddenly picked up her hand and kissed it. "You look beautiful tonight. Lilac's a good color on you."

Hermione blushed and looked over Fred's shoulder. "Viktor!" she said in surprise, going to hug him.

"Krum?" Fred asked, raising an eyebrow as he turned around to look for himself. Hermione didn't answer him because she had thrown herself into his arms. Fred didn't look too happy about that, though she pulled away just as quickly as she had hugged him.

"How are you? You didn't tell me you were coming!"

"You still write to each other?" Fred asked, and Hermione shot him a look.

"Yes...she mentioned you in her last letter. I'm happy that you're finally together."

"Finally together?" Fred asked him curiously.

Hermione shot Viktor a warning look then, but he clearly ignored it. "Yes, she broke up with me because she liked you."

Fred rounded onto Hermione. "I thought you said you hated me in your fifth year," he said as a grin spread across his face.

"I did...you were so obnoxious. And you treated the first years poorly."

"But you liked me even when you drew my name inside of a heart," Fred said, smirking.

"See, I told you that you could tell him how you felt!" Viktor said proudly.

"You're a good man, Viktor," Fred said, patting his shoulder happily.

"Oh, honestly! You're impossible," she said, shaking her head.

"But you _love_ me," Fred said emphasizing on the word love.

Hermione rolled her eyes and turned back to Viktor. "So why are you here?" she asked him, changing the subject.

"Fleur invited me. I was hoping that Harry would be here too, but I haven't seen him yet."

"Oh, he's not coming," Hermione lied quickly, keeping Harry's true identity a secret from Viktor and Fred cleared his throat.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked, holding out a hand.

Hermione looked a bit surprised, though pleased at his offer. "Yes," she said, turning to smile at Viktor and waved him off. "It was nice to see you again."

Viktor nodded and hugged her quickly before heading off to talk to Fleur.

Fred lead Hermione out to the dance floor as a slow song came on. He spun her around in a circle once and pulled her close and started moving with the music.

"I didn't know you knew how to slow dance," she said as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"It's easy to pick up on," Fred answered, winking at her as he placed a hand on the small of her back and held her close to him protectively. "I'm going to miss you," he murmured softly after a moment of silence.

"I don't want to think about what's coming next." Hermione muttered quietly.

He pulled away and gave her an astonished look. "But _you're_ the worrier," he said teasingly.

Hermione gave him a playful nudge. "Yes," she admitted honestly. "But you're supposed to loosen me up."

The song ended and Fred wrapped his arms around her protectively. He had a sense of foreboding that this would be their last moment together for a while. Hermione pulled away first. "I better find Harry and Ron," she said quietly.

There were a thousand words Fred wanted to say to her, but he couldn't bring himself to say any of them. He looked at the floor with his hands in his pockets instead, and Hermione placed a kiss on his cheek.

She started to turn, but then she suddenly flung herself into his arms again and he wrapped his around her. "I love you," Hermione muttered quietly as she hugged him tightly. She lingered much longer than necessary and his arms wrapped around her too. 

He wished he never had to let go. He closed his eyes tightly as tears threatened to form and swallowed. Merlin, he couldn't cry. Not now. He hated crying. He had to tell her he loved her too. He opened his eyes and quickly blinked back tears.

I love you, Fred wanted to say. He swallowed as he tried opening his mouth. _Just tell her those three words_ , he thought to himself. Why was this time so difficult? She already knew how he felt about her.

Their eyes met, and she looked like she knew what he was thinking. She pulled away first finally. He squeezed her hand wordlessly, and she disappeared into the crowd a moment later. Both of them seemed reluctant to say goodbye or what was really on their minds then.

He stood there watching where she last stood until he found George with Luna.

George immediately gave Fred a concerned look and walked over with Luna. "Hey, Freddie. You all right?"

Fred had just opened his mouth to answer just as a bright light appeared in the room, and a lynx Patronus with Kingsley Shacklebolt's voice filled the room.

" _The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming."_

"We'll talk later," Fred told George as wedding guests started to disapparate.

Fred's eyes happened to find Hermione's before they lost each other in the crowd once more. He had to trust that she would get Ron and Harry to safety before something bad happened to them.

He grabbed hold of his twin's hand so he wouldn't lose him and the twins and Luna rushed to his parents to help them, but they were ordered to go into hiding with Ginny while they sorted this mess out.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading!**


	17. Last thoughts

**A/N: TI originally have a George/Luna chapter before this in my original version on fanfiction.net, but I decided to eliminate that since this is a Fremione story. Maybe I'll post it as a side along one shot eventually, but I just didn't feel like it was fitting for this edited version. There's lots of canon moments in here since a lot goes on in the end obviously. If you recognize it, I don't own it. I'm also trying not to repeat all the scenes since we do have the books for that.**

* * *

The Horcrux necklace felt heavy on Hermione's chest, and she shivered as she brought her blanket close to her. It was after Christmas Eve, though the fact made her sad. She wasn't with Fred this year, and she had no idea how many miles apart they were.

Harry walked over to her with an extra blanket and sat down. "You're thinking about Fred aren't you?"

Hermione nodded, and he sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, Hermione. I'm sorry I'm keeping you guys away from each other. You should be together."

She shook her head stubbornly. "You're one of my best friends," she said in a determined voice. "I'm right where I'm supposed to be. I'm trying to be strong, really. It's just a little harder some moments."

"I understand." He grew quiet with those words. She figured he was thinking about Ginny during that time, but she didn't want to say anything. She rested her head against his shoulder.

It wasn't until he was asleep when she suddenly remembered something.

_The patented daydream charm!_

Hermione dug quickly through her bag until she found the box. She hadn't planned on ever using it, but if there was ever a chance she needed to use it... her hands trailed around the box as she contemplated on what it would be like to use it. Would she dream about Fred?

In the end she decided not to use the charm. She didn't want to waste the charm...not when there might be harder times ahead. She brought the box to her chest and hugged it tight as she launched into her own daydream...where she was safe and warm in his arms. She didn't need a charm to conjure up her feelings for him.

* * *

Hermione was still shaking over her ordeal at the Malfoy Manor. Bellatrix had tortured her, and Ron hadn't left her side since they reached Shell cottage.

"I should've been the one who was tortured," Ron kept repeating countless times.

"I don't want to think about it right now," Hermione said as she sat down on the couch. She just wanted to sleep for now.

It was dark when she woke up several hours later. The door from the kitchen opened, and she could make out Fleur standing in the doorway. "Someone wants to see you," she said, beaming at Hermione. Hermione frowned at her, though before she could say another word, Fleur stepped aside to reveal...

_Fred!_

She wanted to sit up, though she found that she couldn't move.

Fred just stood at the door way, looking more serious than she had ever seen him. "You're alive," he murmured in a thick voice as he managed to walk over to her. Relief spilled over his face as he wrapped his arms around her.

Hermione wasn't sure if she should believe this really wasn't a dream, though she realized it wasn't when she sank into his arms. She buried her head into his shoulder as tears came down.

"It's ok, Hermione. I'm here, I'm here." He kept whispering words of encouragement and making soothing noises.

She didn't say anything for several minutes. She kept making sure that this really was Fred, not some vision she was having. The real version of him was definitely way better than any vision she had had during their months apart. Hermione looked up at Fred when his hands found the word Mudblood that was engraved into her arm.

Hatred flashed in his eyes when he read what it said, but the expression softened when he saw her watching him. "Hermione," he said, sounding close to being choked up. He cleared his voice and it sounded stronger when he spoke again. "Who did this to you?"

"It's just a word," Hermione said determinedly. "It doesn't define me." She shook her head. "It doesn't define me."

"No...it doesn't," Fred agreed. Their eyes met, and he lowered his head. Hermione's heart lurched unexpectedly when she realized he was going to kiss her for the first time in months. She moved closer to him and their lips met gently at first. It quickly intensified as if they wouldn't get the chance to kiss again.

Hermione knew it probably would be awhile before they got the chance to do so again. She pulled away after a moment and rested her head against his shoulder. She didn't want to quite let go of this moment yet, though she knew she had to soon. "Stay with me tonight...please," she whispered urgently. She knew she wasn't going to sleep well that night and it'd be easier to know that he would be there.

Fred hugged her and nodded. "Of course," he answered quietly.

Hermione woke up and sat up with a gasp later on that night. She looked around the room frantically for Bellatrix, though she knew she wasn't there. She hadn't been able to shake off being tortured that easily, especially when sleep allowed her to be the most vulnerable. And the dream...

Fred had woken up a second later and he placed a kiss on the back of her shoulder. "Shhh. It's ok. I'm here," he murmured as she buried her head into his chest.

"I had a nightmare," Hermione murmured softly.

"You want to talk about it?" Fred asked as he ran a hand soothingly on her back.

She took several deep breaths before she met his eyes. "You died in it."

Fred's eyes widened as he ran a hand through his hair. He didn't know what to say to that. He couldn't exactly promise that he wouldn't die, not when there was a war going on around them.

"What happens if you die, Fred?"

He still didn't know how to answer her without giving her false hope. He pulled her toward him and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"You'd be my last thought," Fred answered finally.

Hermione wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes. "I love you. No matter what happens, remember that."

Fred squeezed her shoulders lightly. "I love you too. Try not to get yourself killed out there."

He started to drift off into sleep when Hermione spoke again. "Fred?"

"Yes, love?" he asked with a smile.

"You'd be my last thought too. I just wanted you to know that."

* * *

Time went by quickly after that. Harry, Ron and Hermione managed to break into Gringotts, and they stole a dragon to get out. Though they had a close call there. Hermione tried to keep up with the twins on Potterwatch, though she didn't get to hear from them as often as she'd like.

The next thing she knew, they were at Hogwarts in the Room of Requirements again. She still thought this was the most dangerous plan Harry had come up with yet, but he was her best friend. Cheers had erupted the room when the trio arrived and then more people arrived after them. 

First Luna and Dean appeared and Neville announced that he had called for them. Seamus had let out a shout of glee when he saw his best friend and dashed into his arms and hugged him tightly.

Hermione saw Harry's face change when they heard another noise behind them and turned to see who it was. His affectionate look told her it was Ginny. Hermione hadn't expected anybody else to be with her, but Fred, George and Lee Jordan followed her.

Her heart leapt in her chest when Fred spotted her immediately. "Aberforth's getting a bit annoyed," he told everybody as he made his way over toward her. "He wants a kip, and his bar's turned into a railroad station."

Cheers erupted the room again at their arrival, though Hermione couldn't blame their excitement. The twins had been legacies when they were here.

Fred's eyes danced in amusement as they hugged each other tightly. "You broke into Gringotts?" he asked her in an impressed tone. "And you stole a dragon? I take back all the times I teased you about not being a rule breaker."

"That was all her idea too," Ron boasted. "She even wanted to keep the dragon as a pet, like Hagrid did."

"Ron's exaggerating," Hermione said, rolling her eyes at him though she grinned at Fred.

"You're brilliant. Absolutely brilliant," Fred said as he kissed her on the lips. A few girls gasped in surprise.

Hermione pulled away when she realized they had an audience, though she couldn't help but feel pleased all the same. Her heart was dancing in the way it usually did when she first saw Fred again.

She noticed that George had stopped in his tracks when he saw Luna in the room and went still. They caught each other's eyes and smiled before George asked Harry what the plan was again.

"There isn't one," Harry repeated again.

"Just going to make it up as we go along, are we? My favorite kind!" said Fred.

"Why can't they help?" Ron asked Harry.

"What?"

"They can help."

Hermione was the only other one who could hear Ron. "We don't know where it is. We've got to find it fast. We don't have to tell them it's a Horcrux."

"I think Ron's right," Hermione said, causing Ron to look at her in surprise. "We don't even know what we're looking for, we need them. You don't have to do everything alone, Harry."

Harry finally decided to get everybody else's attention, much to Hermione's relief. She really thought that Ron's idea was the best one.

Luna ended up helping Harry figure out it was the lost diadem he was looking for in the end and set off to help him find it.

Meanwhile, Fred and George had taken it upon themselves to summon the Order of Phoenix. "Do you realize that this means that we can finally be in this now?" Fred asked George.

"Wicked," George murmured as his eyes widened at the realization. "Mum won't be able to stop us now. Especially if Ron is fighting...he's younger than us."

"I can't help that. I've done loads of stuff!" Ron said, looking put out.

"Sure you have," Fred teased, ruffling his hair playfully.

"Just be careful," Hermione said, squeezing Fred's hand lightly.

Fred's expression softened. "I will be," he assured her. He started to say something else to her, but the Order had joined them and they heard Mrs. Weasley yelling at Ginny.

"You're underage!"

The twins winced as they had a feeling what would be coming next. "Let's go over to them," George said softly. "It's our fault that Ginny's here."

Hermione gave the Weasley family space and Percy soon showed up, looking aghast. "Am I too late? Has it already started? I only just found out, I- I-"

Hermione covered her mouth with her hand in surprise as she looked at the rest of the family. Fred was the one who stepped closer toward Percy first though. She tried to distance herself from the tension, but Percy had started yelling. "I was a fool! I was an idiot, I was a pompous prat, I was a- a-"

"Ministry-loving, family-disowning, power-hungry moron," said Fred helpfully.

She wanted to shake her head at Fred, but Percy agreed with him to her surprise. "Yes I was!"

Ron suddenly whispered an idea he had in her ear and they managed to sneak off without anybody else seeing them while they were organizing the group to fight. Hermione had hesitated when Fred declared that the secret passageways sounded like a job for the twins, though Ron had pulled on her hand lightly. "Come on...we don't have much time." Hermione nodded with a start and nodded.

They went to the Chamber of Secrets to get the teeth and made their way back to Harry finally. They somehow ended up fighting Malfoy and his cronies in the Room of Requirements, though they barely made their way out of it safely.

Bangs were heard from the corridor nearby, and Hermione and the others readied their wands. Fred and Percy were dueling with some Death Eaters, and the three ran forward to help.

"Hello, Minister! Did I mention I'm resigning?"

"You're joking, Perce!" shouted Fred as the Death Eater he was battling collapsed under the weight of three separate Stunning Spells. "You actually _are_ joking, Perce...I don't think I've heard you joke since you were-"

The air exploded, though Ron was the only one who had reacted in their group. "FRED!" he yelled as he started running toward him.

Hermione started to follow Ron quickly to help, but she was flying in the air before she could help. She was buried under the wreckage, though she was quickly trying to get up. "Fred! Ron!" she coughed and heard somebody let out a horrible cry.

Harry helped her up, and she heard the words. "No- no, no! RON! Fred! No!"

Hermione tore out of Harry's grip and rushed toward where Percy was standing.

"They're dead... they're dead and it's all my fault."

Hermione could feel herself falling. Her nightmare...it had come true, to both Ron and Fred. She could feel Harry's arms wrapping around her, and she buried her face into his chest. She couldn't bring herself to look at them.

All of a sudden a voice came from behind her. A very familiar voice. _"Hermione."_

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for reading!**


	18. Not a normal couple

**_A/N: Hey guys! I'm not going to say much in this author's note, but thanks for the reviews and stuff! I decided not to have too many canon events in this chapter because we have the books for that, and that would've taken forever to refer back to. I'm sure you guys know what happens in the last few chapters anyway. Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does. If I did, this would happen...._ **

* * *

Hermione whirled around and grew still when she saw Fred standing there, wearing his usual grin. She hugged him tightly before pushing him away quickly.

Fred's amused look disappeared as he threw up his arms in defense. "Hey, what was that for?"

"We thought you were dead! Like...like..." Her eyes grew fearful as she glanced towards Ron's body again. Fred was moving, why wasn't Ron moving?

"No, I was just knocked out," Fred said, though he frowned when he saw the expression on her face. "Why are you looking like that? What's wrong?" He glanced at Percy and Harry and his frown deepened when he saw that Harry was crying.

Hermione walked past them and knelt down next to Ron's body. Her heart felt like it was breaking. She had thought for a few moments that her boyfriend was dead, but now her best friend was the one who was dead.

"No....no, no! Not Ron!" Fred scrambled over to the other side of Hermione and started shaking Ron frantically.

"Ron, wake up! Please...Ron, don't do this to me. I won't ever prank you again if you wake up. Please, Ron, please.... Wake up!" Fred hugged his brother tightly and he buried his head into his shoulder as he sobbed uncontrollably.

Hermione's heart broke a second time as she moved closer toward him and held him tightly. Fred was always there for her...it was her turn to be there for him. She started making soothing noises as she held him. Fred clung to her, though he was shaking as he sobbed. His shaking stopped after a while, though she didn't let go of him. She wouldn't let go until he said it was ok.

"He...he saved my life," Fred managed to say moments later. He glanced up at Hermione and Harry. "I'm so sorry...his death is all my fault. He'd still be here if it wasn't for me. You don't have your best friend anymore because of me..." his voice cracked again.

Harry's gaze had hardened, though Hermione hugged Fred again. "No, don't say that! You didn't cause this mess. It wasn't your fault. Ron was trying to protect you in the only way he knew how."

"It was my fault," Harry said suddenly. "I got us into this mess...it's my fault he's dead. So Fred, if you want to blame it on somebody, you can blame it on me."

Fred looked speechless for one of the rare times in his life. "Harry," he started to say, but Harry shook his head.

"No. This battle needs to end now. Before somebody else gets hurt." Harry walked away before they could stop him.

"Harry!" Hermione got up to follow him, but Fred placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"We need to move Ron's body to a safer place...before the rest of this place falls apart on us."

Tears came at those words again, though Hermione took great heaving breaths to calm herself and nodded in agreement.

Fred's expression softened and he pulled her closely to him and kissed her forehead. "I'm so sorry," he murmured, brushing the hair out of her eyes.

Percy had taken off after Rookwood though Hermione could hardly blame him.

Hermione and Fred continued battling as they made their way to safety, even though there wasn't any safe place yet.

After what felt like ages, everything was quiet and they made their way to the Great Hall to see that it was taken over by people.

Hermione's face had grown pale when she saw the Weasleys circled around a body and let out a quiet gasp. "No!"

A hand slipped in hers, and Fred pulled her close to him. "We're in this together," he murmured. He spotted George kneeling next to Ron, and he felt his heart lift a thousand miles. His twin was alive!

"Georgie," Fred murmured softly. He glanced at Hermione before he dashed forward to join his twin. George looked up to see him just as he approached and hugged him tightly.

"Percy says that Ron saved you?" George asked in a tiny voice.

Fred swallowed and nodded with remorse.

"I could've lost you?" George looked stricken by this realization and Fred held him protectively as his twin started crying.

They didn't really need any words then, he knew that they understood each other during those moments.

His mother approached them suddenly. "Mum," Fred croaked. "Mum...I'm so sorry. This is all my fault,"

"Fred!" George scolded him sharply. "Don't do this to yourself!"

His mother's face softened. "Oh, my dear boy. Oh my..." she took him in his arms and held him tightly for a moment before pulling George into a hug as well. "The important thing is that you two have each other...don't ever take your lives for granted," she said sternly. "Ron...sacrificed himself for you. He wouldn't want you to feel guilty for that!"

Fred wiped the tears away from his cheeks, and Mrs. Weasley spotted Hermione standing behind him. "The same goes to you too!" she said as she let go of the twins to embrace her. "You're like a daughter to me...where's Harry?"

Hermione shrugged quietly and hugged Mrs. Weasley tightly. "I don't know...he disappeared after..." she covered her mouth and looked away.

Mrs. Weasley looked worried, though her face softened. "I do hope he's all right," she murmured. 

"I'm sure he will be," Hermione said, patting her arm though she secretly had no idea if Harry would be all right at all after this.

* * *

The battle ended with Lord Voldemort's death, and everybody circled around Harry, cheering and talking at once. Hermione couldn't help but laugh at the thought of not understanding a word anybody was saying.

Ginny suddenly tugged on her arm countless times. "Hermione! Harry! It's Ron! Ron's alive!"

"What?" Hermione's head turned sharply as she saw Ron emerge into the crowd.

"HARRY!" Harry looked over into her direction and she pointed into Ron's direction. Surprise and wonder appeared in his eyes, though they both started running into his direction and hugged him at the same time.

"You're alive!" They both yelled happily.

Ron looked astonished at all of the attention he was getting as the rest of the crowd ran over to him, though he looked pleased all the same. Fred had tackled him and distracted him for a moment.

"What happened? We thought you were dead!"

"I was stunned," Ron answered. "Stunned like Hermione was in our fifth year. I kept trying to tell you I wasn't dead, but I couldn't exactly do that."

"Thank Merlin," Fred said, launching himself onto Ron again.

A grin appeared on Ron's face. "This means that you can't ever prank me with spiders again," he said, winking at him.

Fred's eyes grew round, though he shrugged his shoulders. "That's a small price to pay for your sacrifice...you can be our new assistant!"

"He can?" George asked, looking astonished at that sudden decision.

Fred nodded. "Of course he can," he said, grinning ear to ear.

Hermione met his eyes suddenly and Fred pulled himself away from his family. "Hermione and I are going for a walk," he declared.

Mrs. Weasley looked worried, though Mr. Weasley held up a hand. "They'll be ok, Molly."

"But-"

"We'll stay in sight still," Hermione said in a reassuring voice.

Mrs. Weasley allowed them to go after that, and the two took off. Fred saw George pull Luna off to the side out of the corner of his eyes as well.

"You're wonderful, and brilliant," Fred said as they held hands on the walk down to the lake.

Hermione smiled, though she remained quiet as she kept on walking.

"Hermione?" He asked worriedly. She shook her head in response and led him down the path to the lake so they could be alone.

She didn't say anything though she got down on one knee and took his hands in hers. Fred could only stare at her in shock. _"Hermione!_ What're you-?" He was cut off immediately by her.

"Fred Gideon Weasley," she began, and his eyes widened in surprise as he figured out what was about to happen.

His heart raced as he tried to focus on her words. "I love you...so much, in a way that I never thought was possible. You make me a better person...you make me laugh, and you're the only person I can dream about spending the rest of my life with. You are amazing..."

A tear slipped out, and she wiped it away as she laughed softly. "I realized when we were apart that you were the only person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with."

She beamed at him as she met his eyes. "So, Fred...will you marry me?"

Fred was suddenly rendered speechless. His eyes widened in shock, and he tried speaking several times. "I...I-" He could hear shouts from his family as they too suddenly realized what was happening.

"You can't propose to me! I'm supposed to propose to you!" He finally managed to stammer out. 

Hermione giggled. "Oh, Fred," she said as she shook her head in amusement. "We're not a normal couple."

"I know, but-" Fred began to argue, but Hermione cut him off again.

"Will you marry me?"

His mind spun as he focused on words. "Can I give you a ring still?"

Hermione's eyes danced as she nodded. "Yes, you can give me a ring still."

Fred's could feel himself trembling a little at being caught off guard like this, but he nodded finally. "Yes...I'll marry you."

Hermione's face lit up as she stood up to kiss him. But now it was Fred's turn to surprise her.

"Lucky for you, I already have a ring," Fred declared as he produced a small box.

"Oh, Fred!" Hermione gasped as her hands went to cover her mouth in surprise.

He chuckled at Hermione's reaction as he opened the box. "I just never thought that you would beat me to the proposal part...I guess great minds really do think alike," he said, winking at her.

"You were going to propose to me?" she asked in a shocked tone.

He nodded. "When all of this was over...but your way was better. Because we really aren't a normal couple like you said. And we never will be."

"I have no idea what I just got myself into, do I?" Hermione asked him as her eyes sparkled.

"No...you really don't. And you proposed to me," he said as he lowered his head to kiss her.

"I'm never going to live that one down," Hermione murmured softly, though she smiled as she returned his kiss.

Fred slipped the small, diamond ring on when they stopped and hugged each other for a moment before they looked over at his family.

"Should we go ahead and tell them now?" Fred asked thoughtfully.

Hermione nodded. "We should, though they probably already have a good idea of what happened."

Fred wrapped his hand in hers as they started walking over to them.

* * *

**A/N: I was never going to kill Fred because I love him and that's just a nasty rumor somebody started in the books. This chapter is obviously AU because of that and for Fremione! I couldn't kill Ron off either in the end because Harry would've been devastated so that's why he was just stunned instead.**


	19. Surprises

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does. Otherwise Fremione wouldn't be AU.**

* * *

Hermione and the rest of the Weasley family gathered at the table at the Burrow. She still couldn't believe that the war was really over. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had been battling with Voldemort for several years, and it was now truly over.

She sat next to Fred and George, and Fred immediately rested his hand on her knee underneath the table as dishes were passed around the table. They got several curious looks, but so far nobody was saying anything to them.

Mrs. Weasley was about to take a bite of her food when she suddenly dropped it. "All right, what happened between you two down by the lake?"

Hermione's eyes met Fred's and they both grinned at each other. He squeezed her hand affectionately and her heart danced happily.

"I asked Fred to marry me," she said when he nodded at her.

Ginny squealed and danced in her chair, and Mrs. Weasley's face turned into shock. "What? Fred, you're supposed to ask the girl to marry you!"

Hermione chuckled, and Fred looked exasperated. "I gave her a ring, mum."

"It really doesn't matter how we propose," Hermione assured her, as she held Fred's hand. "I just want us both to be happy still."

Mrs. Weasley looked like she wanted to say something else, but Mr. Weasley gave her a look and shook his head.

* * *

Dinner was over without any more remarks, and Mrs. Weasley started clearing the table. Once she was in the kitchen, Hermione looked over at Fred. "I'm going to help your mum out with the dishes."

Fred looked startled. "You do realize she can do them with magic, right?"

"I know," Hermione said, grinning. It was a known fact that she actually liked washing the dishes the muggle way. "It's just..." she paused, not sure how to phrase her next words. "She's about to be my mother-in-law soon. It's a polite gesture."

Fred looked like he was thinking about her words when he nodded finally. "You want me to come with? Make sure that the conversation stays safe?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, I think I should handle this one on my own." She pressed a kiss against his cheek.

Fred still didn't look assured about this, but he waved Hermione away and Hermione walked toward the kitchen.

Mrs. Weasley was washing the dishes, though she kept looking out the window distractedly and didn't notice when Hermione had arrived with the last dishes from the table. "May I help?" Hermione asked her politely.

She jumped when she realized Hermione was there, though she nodded. "You may dry the dishes," Mrs. Weasley said, giving her a smile.

She continued washing the dishes in silence, and Hermione found a towel and started drying them by hand slowly. She took her time to allow any conversation to happen.

Finally she couldn't take it anymore and looked at Mrs. Weasley. "I'm sorry if Fred and I disappointed you in any way... but I love your son very much," Hermione said softly.

Mrs. Weasley's gaze softened as she turned around to face Hermione. "It means a lot to hear you say that," she said finally, brushing some of Hermione's hair away from her side. "You've always been like another daughter to me. I always had a feeling you would actually be one someday. I'm just surprised that you're going to marry Fred."

Hermione's heart melted at the thought of marrying Fred. "Believe me, I'm just as surprised as you are," she said, reassuring Mrs. Weasley. "I just..." she broke off and looked away.

"You wish your parents were here," Mrs. Weasley finished for her.

She glanced up at Molly in surprise. "Yes. I never really was the wedding planning type when I was a little girl. But I always wanted my father to approve the man I'd marry and walk me down the aisle... I know that's not a real detail."

"It's still important," Mrs. Weasley assured her. "I think he'd realize how lucky you and Fred were to have each other."

Hermione's lip trembled as she pulled Molly into a hug.

"We'll do our best to help you find them," Molly promised her.

"Thank you," Hermione murmured.

* * *

It was finally Christmas time and Hermione was glad that the long year was over. The war was over, but so much had happened in that year especially. She was ready for a new start. Speaking of new starts, Fred and Hermione had decided to have their wedding in April when it was starting to get warmer out. She liked the idea of a small backyard wedding.

Fred was taking her somewhere, but like usual, he was being a man full of surprises.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked as he covered her eyes with his hands.

He laughed softly. "Just trust me. You'll love this."

"You know I hate surprises," she protested. She felt Fred's face brush by hers and he placed his lips on hers.

"I love you," he said softly. "Now will you please let me enjoy surprising you for once?" He kept his hands over her eyes.

Hermione smiled and nodded. They kept walking for another few more moments and she heard him open a door. "Where are we?" she asked curiously.

Fred slowly removed his hands. "We're home."

"What?" Hermione demanded to know as she opened her eyes to gaze around. They were inside a small, charming house. Her expression softened when she saw the place had been decorated with candles and roses.

She turned to Fred with a questioning look, but he was looking at her with a look full of love and adoration. "You... bought a house?"

Fred nodded proudly. "We had to have somewhere to live, and I've been saving up-" He paused to study her reaction. "I'm sorry. I just couldn't wait to start our future together."

Tears appeared in her eyes and she threw her arms around him. "I love you so much," she said as she kissed him deeply.

She could feel him grinning against the kiss. "How'd I get so lucky to be with you?"

"Me?" Hermione asked in wonderment as she ran a hand through his hair. "You're the one who's wonderful."

"Even when I pull pranks? Fred asked teasingly.

"I love your quirks," she said finally.

Fred chuckled as he rested his head on hers. "You beat me to the proposing part, so I thought I should beat you to the house hunting part."

Hermione frowned slightly. "But isn't a house too much for us? I don't want to go into marriage broke."

He shook his head. "Nothing'll ever be too much for you. It's the perfect start for our big family."

She eyed him. "Big family?"

Fred nodded eagerly. "I figured we'd have eight kids... four could fit here and then we could move into our second house later on..."

She raised an eyebrow. "Eight kids? How about three?"

"Four."

"Three."

"Four."

Hermione paused to kiss him again. "How about we wait and see what happens?"

"Deal," Fred said, squeezing her hand. "Now come on, let me give you a tour of the rest of the house!"

* * *

Hermione's mind was spinning with wedding details as the final days of the year wrapped up. The Burrow was crazy mad with wedding details; Mrs. Weasley was overwhelming her with colors and flowers and even Ginny bugged her about them whenever they were in her room together. She had thought she wouldn't be into the planning because she didn't get into Bill and Fleur's wedding, but she was the opposite for this one.

She finally decided to take a hot cocoa and retreat to the outside patio for a few moments of silence. She made her way to the hammock and watched the stars slowly appearing in the night sky.

The stars were starting to appear in the night sky, and she heard footsteps approaching her. Hermione went to hide, but then she saw it was Fred and she sighed in relief.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked, looking down at her.

"Your mum might have a stroke again if she sees us lying next to each other," Hermione warned teasingly.

"She's already having a stroke about the wrong wine glasses or something for the wedding. I think she's preoccupied for a few minutes," he said.

Hermione scooted over and Fred joined her in the hammock. Once he was in it comfortably, they wrapped their arms around each other and she placed her head on his chest. She immediately felt relaxed when they got moments alone like this.

"I have a question," Fred said after several moments of silence.

Hermione propped herself on her elbow and looked at him questioningly.

"How invested are you into weddings? More specifically this one."

"Is this a trick question?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No...it's just...when mum went crazy over Bill's wedding, I told everybody we could lock mum in a cellar that day and everybody could wear what they wanted. But it's just not mum going crazy over the wedding, it's everybody."

"So you want to lock everybody in the cellar now?" Hermione asked teasingly.

"No...not George," he said evasively, and she sighed.

"You want to lock Harry and Ron in the cellar too?" She laughed at the expression on his face. She had never seen him squirming over Ron.

"Yes, actually," he answered, running a hand through is hair. "They keep telling me how they will hurt me if I hurt you, and that sort of thing."

"Fred, you're rambling. Just tell me what you're really thinking," Hermione said, laughing softly.

Fred sighed and he looked into her eyes. "All right. I'm thinking....we should just run off and elope."

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading!**


	20. Becoming Mrs. Fred Weasley

She said yes. Hermione must've been crazy, but she said yes to eloping, but the first thing she wanted to do was bring Ron and Harry with them.

"The whole point of eloping is to get away from everybody," Fred reminded her.

"You're bringing George, aren't you?" Hermione said, shaking her head at him.

"Yes, but the more people that know about this, the more they'll find out."

"I was done with keeping us a secret from Harry and Ron...they're my _best_ friends. My very best friends. We've been there for each other through everything. Please don't take that away from me."

"I'd never want to take anything away from you," Fred said, looking slightly hurt over the thought.

Hermione pressed her lips against his. "Good...then you get George, and I'll get them."

"Do you have a place in mind?" Fred asked her softly.

"Yes. I want to surprise you though," Hermione said.

Fred nodded. "I have another idea... we'll need a priest to marry us off-"

"Yes, George can be the priest."

Fred stared at her in astonishment. "How'd you know that was who I wanted to be our priest?"

Hermione shook her head again, though this time it was in amusement. "Because he saw our relationship from the very beginning."

* * *

Ron and Harry were in their bedroom by the time Hermione made it back inside. She managed to avoid Mrs. Weasley in the living room and quietly made her way upstairs. She heard the backdoor open again and knew that Fred was trying to sneak in as well. But he apparated upstairs instead of walking up them like she did.

Hermione opened Ron's bedroom door and closed it shut. Ron sat up in his bed and covered his chest. "Bloody hell! You're supposed to be in bed with Ginny! What are you doing here?"

She rolled her eyes. He had done that once before in their fourth year. "Never mind that," she said as she took a seat on Harry's bed. "Fred and I are getting married," she announced.

Harry stared at her in astonishment. "We may be slow because we're guys, but we already know that. You're getting married on Fred's birthday."

Hermione shook her head adamantly. "No," she said, sighing.

"You broke up?" Ron asked in astonishment.

"NO!" she said, looking horrified by that thought.

"We're getting married sooner...tomorrow."

"WHAT?!" Harry and Ron said together.

"He's not pressuring you, is he?" Harry asked her protectively. "If he is, I'll-"

"Could you two stop being so ridiculous?" Hermione snapped, feeling a headache coming along. 

"We're eloping. The wedding details are starting to get to both of us."

"Oh, so you decided we can't come to the wedding after all?" Ron said, looking hurt.

Now it was Harry who sighed. "She asked us to stop being ridiculous, Ron."

Hermione couldn't help but smile. "Not at all. I want both of you there." She turned to both of them and wrapped both arms around their shoulders. "Since my father isn't here...I want you both to give me away."

Ron's eyes flew up in surprise. He was going to be a groomsmen since George was going to be the best man, so that was a nice change for him.

"All right... what should we bring?"

"Yourselves," Hermione said.

"I think he wants to know what we should wear," Harry said quickly.

"Don't be silly. You don't have to wear anything special. Remember Fred once said he didn't want anybody dressing up?"

"Yes, but you're our best friend," Ron said quietly. "You've done so much for us. The least we could do is look nice for your wedding."

Hermione's eyes grew teary eyed, and Harry's arm suddenly wrapped around her shoulders comfortingly.

"You can wear just casual formal wear. I really don't want you to go through the trouble either."

"All right," Ron said, shaking his head.

Ron and Harry got up and quickly packed and they went off to meet Fred and George.

Fred beamed when he saw Hermione walking towards him. "You know where you want to get married at, love?"

Hermione grinned back and shushed him. "Of course... everybody just hold onto my arm. We're going to Apparate."

"WAIT!" Ron said suddenly. "We can't Apparate in a huge group. What if one of us gets our arms splinched? Or worse? I don't want a repeat of..." his voice trailed off as he shuddered, obviously remembering the time his arm got hurt after Apparating away from the ministry.

"We're under much safer circumstances this time," Hermione assured Ron.

He mouthed soundlessly at her. "Have you met our mother? Your mother-in-law? Or sorry... your future mother-in-law?"

"It'll be fine," she said as she started packing some clothes together in her bag.

"Yeah. Sure. Fine," Ron echoed sarcastically.

Harry rolled his eyes at Ron. "Come on, our best friend is getting married to your brother!"

"I'm still trying to forgive and forget," Ron muttered as they snuck into the hallway.

* * *

Fred's eyes lit up when Hermione snuck into his room with Harry and Ron. He couldn't believe they were about to do this. His emotions and heart were dancing all over the place and he couldn't help but encircle his arms around her waist and pull her towards him. "Are you ready to become Mrs. Fred Weasley?" He asked teasingly with a glint in his eyes.

Hermione placed her hand in his and placed her lips on his cheek. "More than ever."

Fred ignored his brother's rolling their eyes at him and focused on her seriously. "Are you sure you want to do this? My mother could possibly hate us the rest of our lives."

"As long as we're together, we'll be ok. Besides, I don't need a wedding that's filled with all the details she's planning. All I need is _you_."

Shivers went down Fred's back and arms as he placed a kiss on her forehead. "Merlin, the things you do to me, woman."

"Can we get a move on? Mum could wake up any moment," Ron protested, stepping forward before anything else could happen.

Fred shot his little brother an irritated look, but then tried to ignore it. Nothing was going to ruin his wedding day.

He turned back to his fiance. "Do you have a place in mind?"

"Of course," she said, as she glanced at everybody else. They all took her hand and apparated to.....Paris, France.

Fred was surprised for a moment, but then he wasn't really at the same time. Hermione had once expressed her love for all things France and it shouldn't have come to a surprise that she wanted to be married here.

"I know of this place," Hermione said as she started leading the way.

Fred looked quizzically at George. "But-" How did he get onto the not knowing side? Hermione looked like she had actually been planning this out for ages!

"Trust me," Hermione said, giggling as she took his hand.

Fred's mind began spinning. "Wait," he said, feeling himself panicking.

"Breathe, Fred," George murmured, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Hermione gave Fred a confused look. "What's wrong?"

"I...er...don't you think this is moving a bit too fast?"

"No, we are engaged," Hermione said teasingly, holding up her ring hand. But she gave him a concerned look. "This was your idea...you don't want to get married anymore?"

"NO!" Fred answered quickly, but he took a step forward once Hermione wore a hurt look on her face. "Merlin... no, that's not what I mean." He hugged her quickly. "Love, I'm sorry. That's not what I mean."

He felt Hermione relax against him. "Can you help me understand, then?"

He grew quiet for a moment. "I guess....I guess I feel guilty for running off like this. Mum's voice is in the back of my head and I keep feeling like maybe eloping isn't the best thing for us to do. It's too... spontaneous."

Hermione pulled away to stare at him in surprise. "Too spontaneous? You mean you've actually found something that was too spontaneous?"

"Yeah," Fred admitted, looking down sheepishly. "It's just...you deserve to be in a wedding dress. You deserve getting married in front of our loved ones. I can put up with the wedding details a bit longer."

"None of that stuff matters," Hermione said, placing her hands on both sides of his face.

"I know," Fred said. "But your whole life hasn't been normal. You've been off on crazy missions with these two," he nodded at Harry and Ron. "And you helped defeat the Dark Lord. You deserve to have a normal wedding."

Hermione's face lit up as she thought of an idea. "What if we compromise?" she asked Fred eagerly.

Fred frowned at her. "What do you mean?"

"Let's go home and get married as soon as possible. Today or tomorrow if you'd like. We could keep the spontaneous wedding and still have everybody come to it. How does that sound?"

Fred looked like he could kiss her right then and there, but he knew the others were probably getting impatient with their mushiness so he just settled with kissing her forehead lightly. "Brilliant! Mum's going to hate the plan though."

He saw George raise his hand in the corner of his eye. "Yes, George?"

"I love the plan of freaking mum out... but can I still marry you two off?"

"Yes," Fred answered automatically, not bothering to consult with Hermione on this one. He had a feeling that she'd understand how he felt about that.

"Let's go home and break the news to everybody else."

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading and for the reviews!**


	21. Happily ever after

They were back home a few moments later and they could hear Mrs. Weasley before they could see her. "BED'S EMPTY, NO NOTE, WHAT WERE THEY THINKING? OH IT'S LIKE THEY WERE TWELVE ALL OVER AGAIN-"

"Molly."

"WHEN I SEE THEM, I'M GOING TO-"

"Molly." Arthur Weasley's calm voice came from in front of her and they saw him nod towards them. "They're back. You can relax."

Mrs. Weasley turned around and reached for a startled Hermione first. "Hermione! Dear...we've been so worried."

"What are Fred and I, next door neighbors?" George asked, looking put out.

"Yes, yes. We're happy for you two as well. But come along into the kitchen. I've made tea for you."

Hermione threw a questioning look at the twins when their faces suddenly grew concerned. "What's going on, mum?" Fred asked loudly.

"Well, I... just come along into the kitchen." She looked like she was trying to hide something from them on purpose so Hermione worked her way over to Fred.

"Should I be worried?" she asked as she watched Mrs. Weasley drop a tea cup on the ground. Arthur immediately swooped in to pick it up.

"I don't know. But I'm not leaving your side," he said, moving closer and placing a hand in hers protectively.

Arthur jumped when he saw everybody walk into the room and he nudged Molly. "Hermione! I have some tea ready for you. Come, sit, sit." She started pulling her toward a seat, but Hermione stayed right where she was at beside Fred.

"I think I'll stand here," she said, holding his hand tighter.

"Oh, my dear child. I don't really know how to say this." She looked at her husband helplessly and he took over.

"We...we found your parents."

Hermione's heart sped up. "That's great! When can I see them?" She asked eagerly.

Mr. Weasley sighed and looked around for a moment before looking at her. "I'm not sure if that's the best idea. Their memories have been modified, you see.

Hermione glanced over at Fred and he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Oh...yes, I knew that," she said quietly, looking at Ron and Harry now. "I placed the memory charm on them before we went away on our mission to hunt down the Horcruxes."

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley looked slightly relieved. "We were hoping it wasn't the death eaters that did that, though that didn't seem to be their signature move-"

"Where are they?" Hermione couldn't help but interrupt him.

"They're in Australia. I'm sorry to tell you this news, but there hasn't been a cure for memory charms. You remember Professor Lockhart, he's still in St. Mungo's without a cure for his."

Ron had the audacity to actually look a little bit guilty over that piece of news.

"But they're safe?" Hermione asked fiercely. "They haven't been harmed?"

"They're safe," Mr. Weasley reassured her. "We're going to do what we can to modify their memories again, but well...your charm was quite powerful. I know it was a huge sacrifice on your part."

"It was," she murmured quietly, looking down as a tear rolled down her cheek.

Fred immediately kissed her forehead. "It's ok, we don't have to get married right now," he murmured quietly, running a hand through her hair softly.

"No, no." She looked at Fred and gave him a small smile. "I still want to. You're my family now," she said.

Mrs. Weasley moved forward a bit, looking a bit crestfallen and Hermione's heart sank. She had overheard. "You don't want the wedding I was planning for you?"

Fred shook his head. "To be honest, mother it wasn't really my style. I've always been the spontaneous type, you know. We were going to elope-"

Mrs. Weasley opened her mouth furiously, but Fred started talking quickly before she could start yelling about that.

"But we- I actually realized... that I want everybody there. But we don't want all of that fancy wedding stuff. We just want everybody to come as they are."

"Hermione's still wearing her dress though right? Fred, don't make your future wife be deprived of her wedding dress!"

"I am wearing it still," Hermione said, laughing softly. Her wedding dress was one of the few details she actually liked about the wedding.

"In fact, we'd like to get married today... George can be the priest," Fred said, nodding at George. George beamed at that piece of news.

"Today? But-"

"We have owls. Everybody can Apparate if they want to come," Fred said. "It'll be the most spontaneous wedding of the century! Come on, mum. Let me have my wedding my way."

"All right," she said, walking over to the two of them and hugging them. Her face softened when she looked at Hermione. "I'm so sorry about your parents. But you've been part of our family long enough. It only makes sense that you two make it official."

* * *

Hermione had her wedding dress on later that afternoon and Ginny placed the veil on her head. "I'm happy you're marrying Fred," she said, smiling at her. "I always thought it would be Ron when we were all kids. Did you ever have feelings for him?"

Hermione laughed. "Yes, but he was too oblivious about it. I tried telling him one time in fifth year, but it went right over his head. It was right around the time when Fred started being around more actually."

"So, how did you two start dating in secret?"

She shook her head. "That's a story for another time...not minutes before the wedding." She heard the music starting to play and grinned. "It's time."

* * *

Fred was anxious standing at the altar, waiting for Hermione to arrive. It was so hot outside. Why had they decided to have a backyard wedding instead of a church wedding? It would've been much cooler in a church. His thoughts were racing around his mind until a hand was placed on his shoulder.

He looked up and saw it was George.

"Relax. Hermione is coming. Enjoy your wedding."

"But-"

"She's coming," he repeated calmly.

"Shouldn't we be having last minute twin brother talks or something?" Fred asked desperately. "I mean...we won't be living together anymore. How do you feel about that?"

George laughed at the question. "Seriously? Yes I'm going to miss you. But you're about to marry your girl. And I might marry Luna someday-"

Fred turned his head quickly. "You're going to marry Luna?" He asked as the music started playing.

"I haven't asked her yet. But I want to," George said. "I'm happy for you though. I know you're happy. You have my blessing to get married," he said quickly. "Now, focus on your girl. You don't want to miss the moment she walks down the aisle."

Ginny walked down the aisle as the bridesmaid first and then Fred's heart leapt in his throat when he saw Hermione. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. She looked like an angel in her dress, a perfect, beautiful angel. And the look in her eyes. It was for him only. It was almost enough to bring him to his knees.

And on both sides of her were Harry and Ron. Fred couldn't help but laugh a little when he realized why they were there. Of course, they were going to give her away since her parents weren't there. It was only fitting!

Focus, mate, he told himself. You're only getting this moment once in your life. He couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked and how his heart leapt in his throat when her eyes landed on his, wearing a smile just for him. This really was a once in a lifetime moment indeed. It felt like forever, but she had finally reached to the altar.

"Who gives this young lady away?" George asked when the music stopped playing.

"Her best friends, Ronald Weasley and Harry Potter do," Ron said proudly, looking over at Fred and winking.

Fred winked back and George said something else that he didn't catch because his attention was back onto Hermione. Harry and Ron both kissed her cheek before they went to sit down with the rest of the family.

Fred took Hermione's hands and squeezed them lightly. He couldn't believe he was about to get married. Him! Fred Gideon Weasley. And somebody actually loved him that much to get married to him.

 _"I love you,"_ he mouthed when he faced her.

The look on Hermione's face didn't change at all. She just seemed to have beamed even more. "I love you too," she whispered softly.

Fred swallowed before he finally allowed his attention to turn back to George.

"Friends and family, we are gathered here today because my twin brother, Fred Gideon Weasley is getting married to Hermione Jean Granger," George said proudly.

"I was there from the start of their relationship. I saw it all happen. I can tell you guys everything. In fact, it all started with this little doodle that Hermione drew one day that I found."

Hermione's eyes widened when he took out the note. "You kept that note?" she hissed loudly.

"Of course I kept it! I'm George Weasley," George said, winking at her. "I was going to use it on this very day."

Fred couldn't help but laugh along with everyone else.

"This note is how the two started. Inside this note contains a heart. And Hermione had written Mrs. Fred Weasley on that note. She hadn't realized what she had done at the time. She denied everything about it, but I knew what would happen eventually. They started forming a friendship, then they secretly started dating... and next thing you know.... here we are!"

He gestured to everybody else.

The rest of the ceremony was a blur. Hermione had written her own vows as well as Fred, but he could barely remember them, he was so nervous about what was about to happen in the next second after their vows were exchanged.

"Do you, Fred Gideon Weasley take Hermione Jean Granger as your wife?"

"I do," Fred said quickly, causing his family and friends to laugh softly. He carefully placed the wedding band on her ring finger.

"And do you, Hermione Jean Granger, take Fred Gideon Weasley to be your husband?"

"I do," Hermione said, as her grin grew even wider, slipping the wedding band onto his finger.

George grinned before meeting Fred's eyes meaningfully. "Well, brother...you may now kiss your bride."

Fred let go of the breath he didn't realize he had been holding. "Finally!" he said, before lowering his head and kissing her for several slow moments. They both finally pulled apart, laughing as they turned to the audience.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to introduce to you for the first time ever.... Mr. and Mrs. Fred Weasley!"

Everybody else laughed as Fred lifted Hermione's hand into the air, whooping. He then scooped her up into his arms.

"Fred, I can walk," Hermione said, but her eyes were dancing as she was laughing.

"I know, I'm just so happy," Fred said as he placed a kiss on her forehead when they reached the end of the aisle.

"Now what do we do?" Hermione asked, looking up at him when he placed her down carefully.

"Now, we live happily ever after," Fred said teasingly before calling out to everybody else about the reception party that was taking place in their backyard.

* * *

**A/N: Hey everybody! Thanks so much for reading, following and reviewing this story! Two Can Keep a Secret is actually my first finished story and it is my baby. This is the last chapter of this story. I have another story in mind that I want to rewrite that will be Fremione, but it won't be a sequel to this or anything. It will be a different one. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing this! I also more stories under this username on fanfiction.net. I want to bring over here too. For now... mischief managed. Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does.**


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